


Woman in Red

by LissaMU



Category: Pride and Prejudice (1995), Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1920s, Alternate Universe - 1930s, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Great Depression, Jazz Age, Melodrama, flapper Elizabeth, jazz singer Elizabeth, movie star Elizabeth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:16:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 38,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23269075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LissaMU/pseuds/LissaMU
Summary: 'And now ladies and gentlemen, the Kitty Kat Lounge is pleased to present, our very own little songbird, the woman in red, Lizzy Bennet!' Hoots and whistles mingled with applause as the curtain opened to reveal a small, dark-haired woman in a red dress. William heard her before he saw her; her voice was deep, sultry, and smoky as she sang the first words of a slow-tempoed 'I Ain't Got Nobody'. Every cell in his body responded to her in a way he could hardly comprehend. By the time she came into his line of vision, he was enraptured. When he saw her, he was a lost man.Her black hair was short and marcelled, accentuating her fine features. Her eyes were equally dark, but even from his faraway seat William could see them sparkle with vivacity. The red dress she wore was tight along her boyish chest and hips, with fringe beginning at waist level to decorate the front of the dress. It ended at a scandalous location just above her knees. Everything about her was slight, but she exuded solid strength and confidence. This was not a woman to be trifled with. William found himself wanting to trifle with her most desperately.
Relationships: Elizabeth Bennet/Fitzwilliam Darcy
Comments: 33
Kudos: 181





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is it: my Magnum Opus. It started as just a scene in my head, the alley at the end of chapter one. My friends Karen, Judy-Lynne and Misty insisted that I had to write more, and it became nearly 40,000 words telling a love story that spans a decade. I did a lot of research into 1920s and 30s society and slang, but despite my best efforts I'm sure there will be some anachronisms, for which I apologise. I've supplemented the story with links to YouTube videos of the songs and images for some key elements; please let me know in the comments if a link ever stops working so I can find a replacement.
> 
> I've tried to make this fic have something of the feel of a romantic drama of that era, which means it will have some tropes and attitudes that would have been typical of society and storytelling of the time. It should go without saying, but me writing about it does not mean I agree with all of the sentiments or views expressed by the characters. 
> 
> This fic is complete and freshly edited, but has not been changed in any substantial way since it was originally posted in the early 2000s. I'll try to post chapters every few days until it's all up. Hope you enjoy it!

_July 1926_

'Come on Darce, it'll be a gas. Live a little!' The taller man in the double-breasted suit rolled his eyes.

'I live just fine, Rick. I'm not going to risk my reputation and that of my family to go to a sleazy club in a notorious part of town.'

Rick Fitzwilliam frowned and gave his cousin a shove. 'It's my family too,' he complained, feigning offence.

'Yes, but your reputation is already in the gutter,' Darcy said coolly. 'I have respectability to maintain.'

It was now Rick's turn to roll his eyes. 'Oh please. Just put on your hat and nobody will recognise you. Besides, if anyone you know sees you there, it means they're also in a sleazy club in a notorious part of town, and they won't be ratting you out.' Darcy sighed and reached for his hat. Rick celebrated his victory, but in fact it had been easily won. William Darcy was in need of distraction and change, and 'The Kitty Kat Lounge' was definitely going to be a change.

The boys left William's penthouse and Rick began walking towards the garage and William's [Rolls Royce Phantom](https://imgur.com/3ZcRi7i). 'What are you doing? We are not taking my baby to _that place_ ,' William protested.

'What kind of people do you think run these bootleg clubs, Darce? Believe me, there are plenty of cars like this in _that place_ , and nobody touches them.'

William looked appalled. 'You're taking me to a gangster-run bootleg club?' he cried. 'Are you crazy?'

'No Darce, I'm taking you to a perfectly respectable juice joint and country club that just happens to be in the red light district,' Rick replied sarcastically. 'Of course it's a gangster-run bootleg club. Is there any other kind of bootleg club?'

'Rick, it's illegal!'

'So is gambling, but they do that too,' Rick informed him calmly. William looked like he was going to pop a blood vessel.

'A gangster-run bootleg gambling club… that's just great Rick. Are there prostitutes too?' he asked with exasperation.

'Not at the Kitty Kat, but if that's what you want, we can go to the…'

William cut him off. 'No, the Kitty Kat Lounge will be fine. Let's just go before I change my mind.' They hopped into the Phantom and drove off. A short time later they pulled up in front of the club, where, to William's surprise, a valet took his keys and nervously promised to take good care of the car. Except for the rather garish sign announcing the club's name, the place could easily have passed for a posh uptown restaurant. Rick gave William an 'I-told-you-so' look before striding to the door and getting them both in. They were shown to a booth in the back and William took the place in.

The Kitty Kat Lounge was dark and smoky, but it had more a look of luxury than depravity. The booths along the wall were all leather, and the tables in front of the stage looked brand new and solid. William would hardly have guessed that this place belonged in the wrong part of town if not for the jazz, smell of liquor, and scantily clad cigarette girls walking around. One of those cigarette girls was passing near the table now, and William heard Rick murmur his approval of her figure.

Rick gestured to the girl and pulled her into his lap when she came over. Reaching around her waist, he selected a cigar and stuck a bill in her garter. He sent her on her way with a light slap on her thigh. William watched with amazement, half-expecting the girl to smack Rick for his impertinence; rather, the girl rewarded him with a kiss on the cheek and a little wiggle before walking away to another customer. Rick lit his cigar and looked over at his cousin's shocked expression.

'What?' he asked nonchalantly. 'Oh, don't give me that disappointed mother look. I gave her a five, and this cigar cost a nickel. Just relax, will you? Enjoy yourself! Try to remember what fun feels like!'

'I don't think it felt like this,' William muttered to himself, making a mental note never to listen to his cousin again. His attention was diverted from these thoughts by the voice of the emcee announcing the next act.

'And now ladies and gentlemen, the Kitty Kat Lounge is pleased to present, our very own little songbird, the woman in red, Lizzy Bennet!' Hoots and whistles mingled with applause as the curtain opened to reveal a small, dark-haired woman in a red dress. William heard her before he saw her; her voice was deep, sultry, and smoky as she sang the first words of a slow-tempoed '[I Ain't Got Nobody](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_uoupN2uw0)'. Every cell in his body responded to her in a way he could hardly comprehend. By the time she came into his line of vision, he was enraptured. When he saw her, he was a lost man.

Her black hair was short and marcelled, accentuating her fine features. Her eyes were equally dark, but even from his faraway seat William could see them sparkle with vivacity. The red [dress](https://imgur.com/jBxnz1g) she wore was tight along her boyish chest and hips, with fringe beginning at waist level to decorate the front of the dress. It ended at a scandalous location just above her knees. Everything about her was slight, but she exuded solid strength and confidence. This was not a woman to be trifled with. William found himself wanting to trifle with her most desperately.

The rest of the world seemed to fall away as he watched her. He resisted the impulse to go to her as she sang her bluesy words.

_I ain't got nobody,_ _  
Nobody cares for me  
That's why I'm so sad and lonesome  
Won't somebody come and take a chance with me_

His chest tightened, as did the fit of his well-tailored trousers. He could feel her voice washing over him, penetrating to his soul and stealing it for herself. William Darcy was suddenly very afraid of a woman half his size. His mind told him to run, leave Rick, get out of the club, peel away in his Rolls Royce, return to his penthouse and his wealth and his respectability, and never even think about this woman again. But he simply couldn't move.

_I'd sing sweet love songs all the time_ _  
If he would come be my sweet little mine  
Well I ain't got nobody  
Nobody cares for me_

Oh God, how he wanted to be her 'sweet little mine', if it meant she would sing to him all the time. He was horribly disappointed when the song ended, and Lizzy took a bow. Fortunately, she started her next number with little pause.

The moment she started singing again, he had a rather chilling feeling that Fate had been planning all of this, and he was powerless to escape it. The song was a popular vaudeville tune, lighthearted and full of innuendo. It wasn't so much the content of the song but the refrain line that caused his heart to sink. He heard Lizzy's voice, mischievous with the knowledge of the pun on her name, reverberating in his head…

[ _Rolls Royce Papa_ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ1schBLomg) _, your Tin Lizzie Mama is gonna tow you in_

How could it be a coincidence? He was meant to come here tonight, and see this woman, and drown in her dark eyes. He had no idea why it should be, but he was ensnared and could not break free. When he looked at her again, he decided that he didn't really want to.

Rick, meanwhile, had been watching the fascinating display of William's face as soon as he'd heard his cousin's sharp intake of breath during Lizzy's first song. He had never seen the man so disconcerted, and half expected him to start fanning himself and fidgeting with his collar to let off steam. At first it had been amusing to see that even the smooth William was moveable, but when Lizzy started her second song and William's face paled frighteningly, he began to grow concerned. Clearly there was more at work here than an old-fashioned hard-on.

'William? Will. Willy!' he yelled, finally reverting to the childhood nickname to get his cousin's attention.

'What?' William asked sharply, not pleased to be distracted from Lizzy's performance.

'You look pale. Are you all right? Do you want to leave?'

'No!' he yelled. 'Let's stay. This is fun.'

Rick snorted. 'Sorry I asked. I'll leave you to your _woman in red_ ,' he said, mocking the emcee. William didn't notice; his eyes were again riveted on the singer.

Lizzy sang for about an hour before taking a bow and being replaced by the next act. Wanting nothing but the memory of Lizzy's voice in his ears, William immediately stood to leave.

'Let's go. It's getting late.'

Rick smiled knowingly and followed his cousin to the doors. 'So what did you think? Want to come back next week?'

'I don't think so,' William said evenly. 'I won't be back to this side of town with you again.'

'Fine by me. I prefer Cleopatra's Eye anyway; the cigarette girls are cuter.' William made a derogatory comment concerning the likely moral state of those cigarette girls, then let the subject drop. What he had said was true: he would not be back to that side of town with Rick. Next time, he would go alone.

**********

For three days William shunned the club, trying to keep himself from returning. He tried to tell himself that his reputation would suffer if he were found at the Kitty Kat Lounge, and with it his father's. The risk was too great; he absolutely could not go. He would just make up his mind when the image of Lizzy would force itself into his thoughts, and then all he could think of was how her lips would taste. In the end, Lizzy won out, towing him in just as she had predicted; this time, however, he didn't take his Rolls Royce, opting for the anonymity of picking up a cab several blocks from his penthouse. Hat carefully shielding his face, he strode into the Kitty Kat and asked for the booth in the corner. There, hidden in shadow, he lit a cigarette, ordered a gin and tonic and waited.

He was on his third cig and second gin by the time she came on. She again wore red, but a different style of dress this time. Clearly being the 'woman in red' was her gimmick, and she had chosen well; the colour suited her complexion, figure, and personality. She was pure sex on that stage. He left as soon as her act was over and spent the rest of his night tossing and turning, the little sleep he did get full of torrid dreams of Lizzy.

They would start the same way, him sitting at the same table at the club, her singing. Then suddenly, the place would be empty but for the two of them. She would sing her way to his table, then he would stand, grab her, and kiss her until he could hardly breathe. He would be alternately tender and rough with her, either worshipping her naked form and making love to her on the table, or carelessly hiking up her skirts and wantonly taking his pleasure from her as she cried out loudly for him to take her. His hands moulded perfectly around her small breasts as they moved together, the smell of sweat and sex mingling with the smell of cigars and liquor that hung about the club. He could taste the saltiness of her skin as his tongue explored the area from her throat to her nipples again and again. She cried out his name as her body tightened around him… 'William… William…'

'William!' Rick yelled in his ear, awakening him the next day with vigorous shaking. William groaned, the gin he had consumed still taking its toll. He found no sympathy from Rick, however, who had come to make sure William was ready for their ten o'clock meeting with a business associate; it was unlike William not to be at the office by eight, so Rick had let himself in with his copy of the key to make sure his cousin was all right. When he saw the condition William was in, he merely shook his head and waited to welcome him back to the world of the living.

'So how was she?' Rick asked when William was finally half-vertical. 'As good as you remembered?'

'What? Who?' William asked in his hangover fog. Rick couldn't possibly have known that he'd gone to the Kitty Kat again, leading him to wonder if, while obsessing over the woman in red, he'd forgotten a date with another girl.

'Don't play dumb, Willy. I know you went to the Kitty Kat last night.' William was at a loss, completely unsure how to answer the accusation. 'I rang you last night; the maid said you were out but took a cab instead of the Rolls. I figured you must have been going someplace where you didn't want to be noticed and recalling your reluctance to be seen a few days ago, I put two and two together. Oh, and I can still smell the gin on your breath. Brush your teeth.'

'I have no idea how your logic works, Rick, but you're right, I was at the Kitty Kat last night. She was amazing of course.'

'And are you planning to go back?'

William sighed and scratched his head. 'I don't know if I can help it, Rick. I barely realised that I was going again until I was at the door. I'm completely drawn to her.'

Rick shook his head and pulled something out of his jacket pocket. 'Here. If you intend to frequent that part of town, you should have some protection.'

William dubiously eyed the small pistol that was now in his hand before handing it back to his cousin. 'I don't think so Rick. You've just given me enough motivation to stay away.'

Rick snorted, placing the pistol in William's bureau drawer instead. 'Just in case you do. I don't have any bullets, so you'll have to get those yourself. Now come on, we have to get to that meeting on time.'

William made it to the meeting successfully, but that was all that could be said about him. Rick was forced to take charge after the third or fourth time William asked Mr. Martin to repeat himself, and from that point William didn't even try to pay attention anymore. Instead, he daydreamed about Lizzy, picturing her slight, boyish figure in that red dress, walking over to his table as in his dreams, and singing a song just for him. He could still hear her voice in his ear, sensual and seductive, bewitching him, enticing him.

'Mr. Darcy, are you all right? You look flushed,' cut Mr. Martin's voice through the haze of William's fantasy. This interruption gave him the presence of mind to cross his legs as he replied that he was fine, just a bit warm, then let Rick continue the business as his mind wandered again.

By the time Mr. Martin bid them a good day and left the room, William was in no condition to stand, his fantasies having grown increasingly erotic as the meeting progressed. Rick smirked at his cousin once the door was closed and collected his things to leave.

'Careful there, Willy. You're about this close to having a wet spot.' Before William could react, Rick ran out the door.

**********

As the weeks went on, William increased the frequency of his trips to the Kitty Kat Lounge. He had discreetly inquired about Lizzy's schedule and learned that she sang at night three times a week, and when she wasn't scheduled to sing, she helped with the cleaning during the day. He had her performance times memorised, always arrived ten minutes before she was due to start and left as soon as she was off the stage, always sitting at the same table and keeping his fedora low over his face. The barkeep and serving girls quickly learned his habits and always had a gin and tonic waiting for him when he arrived. When that one was empty, they silently brought him another so as not to interrupt his enjoyment of Lizzy's act.

They were not the only ones who seemed to have noticed his constant presence, however. As time passed, there were several instances when William would have sworn that Lizzy was looking right at him, telling him in her own way that she knew he was there, and why. Her fine, dark eyes seemed to sparkle in challenge, a challenge he was too afraid to meet.

Oh, he thought about approaching her; he'd thought of it a million different ways, in fact. Some of those ways were even viable, and he'd been on the verge of trying one many times. But something kept holding him back. He couldn't quite explain what it was, but mostly he was afraid of rejection. As things stood, he could easily come to the club, hear her sing, and pretend that she was singing to him, or that she'd be going home with him after the show. He could dream of cuddling with her and calling her his sheba, the pet name he had decided fit best with the sensuality she exuded. If he actually talked to her and she wanted nothing to do with him, however, the fantasy would be dashed. He would never be able to see her again without knowing that he could never hold her, or kiss her, or make love to her as he so deeply desired. He had the rather sinking feeling that he couldn't survive such a blow.

So, he hesitated. For two months he went to see her this way, half in agony, half in ecstasy, each night praying for a sign from her to make his move; each night going home disappointed and releasing the built-up tension the only way he could, finding himself incapable of seeking out another girl to warm his bed while he waited for that sign. At last, one night it came.

Near the end of her set, Lizzy announced that she wanted to sing one of her favourites from a few years back, breaking from her usual pattern of singing more recent numbers. This wouldn't have been so interesting in itself, but the words of the song nearly made William choke on his gin.

_Honey, oh honey, how long_ _  
Will I have to wait?  
Oh, won't you tell me now  
_ [ _Baby, why do you hesitate?_ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYg1yQ5kgDg)

She sang the slower Esther Bigeou arrangement, swaying provocatively as she begged her baby to stop hesitating. This was what William had been waiting for; she wasn't even halfway through the song before he called a waitress over and asked her to send a pricey cocktail to Miss Bennet. The girl smiled knowingly at his order: 'One Exciting Night'.

The barkeep quickly prepared the drink and had it sent up to Lizzy just as she finished her number. Her quizzical look faded as the waitress explained the drink's origin and gestured towards William's table. Lizzy smiled, a noticeable blush creeping over her cheeks. She took the glass, raised it to him, and took a sip. He returned the gesture with his own glass and drained it.

'Well, well,' she said after another swallow, 'it seems I have a benefactor. Quite the drink you've bought me, sir. You've certainly got more than a few nickels in your pocket. I'm very much obliged to you.' She toasted him again, then whispered something to the bandleader. 'This is for you, my mystery admirer.'

The music began, and William lost it before Lizzy even started singing. Each note of this song was as familiar as the sound of his mother's voice. She had dedicated 'Rolls Royce Papa' to him.

The colour drained from his face and his heart felt like it was going to pound out of his chest. Could he ask for a more definite sign than the two songs she had just sung? Tonight was the night he made his move. With any luck it really would be 'one exciting night', but he sincerely hoped that it wouldn't be the _only_ one.

His song turned out to be her last one of the night and with a deep bow she left the stage. William stood and left the club as was his habit, but rather than going to catch a cab, he went around the back to the stage door, certain she would have to come out sooner or later. He hung back in the shadows and waited. Judging by the number of cigarettes he smoked to soothe his nerves, he figured it was about twenty minutes before the door opened. His heart stopped when he recognised the diminutive figure standing in the doorway, her throaty laughter filling the air as she shared a joke with whomever she was saying goodbye to inside. With a little wave behind her, she stepped out into the alley and William apprehensively left his hiding place to approach the woman in red at last.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your lovely comments so far! <3

Lizzy walked out of the club and put a long cigarette holder to her lips. As she searched her handbag for matches, a flame appeared before her. She lit her cigarette before looking up with lazy eyes at the man who had obliged her. The darkness and his fedora obscured most of his face, but the shadow of a strong jaw and a perfectly shaped mouth were visible.

'Thanks,' she said in that sultry voice he had been waiting to hear. He watched her take another drag and tried to understand how he had come to be in this situation. It was so utterly irrational. He had been coming here for weeks now simply to hear her voice; since the first rich, smoky note he had heard escape her throat he had been enraptured, completely drawn to her, completely powerless to keep from returning to the seedy club where he had never belonged. He was high society, he was wealth, he was power. She was underworld, she was life paycheque-to-paycheque, she was obscurity. He should never have come in the first place, and he certainly should never have returned. All this time, he had thought it was her voice that had cast a spell on him. Now, standing here next to her in the dull light of the alley, he understood.

It was her eyes that would not let him go.

And now she was speaking again. 'I should quit… filthy habit for a woman really. But it would upset my mother, and that’s good enough for me.' He indulged her with a short laugh before taking a last drag from his own cigarette and tossing it into the alley. 'I’m Lizzy.' She extended her hand cordially. This threatened to be more than he could take; seeing her, speaking to her, _and_ touching her? Hoping his palms were not disgustingly sweaty, he returned the gesture, surprised to find her handshake to be as firm as his.

'Darcy.'

Lizzy withdrew her hand and looked him over again more critically. 'Not _the_ Darcy? William Darcy?' she asked with a touch of surprise. Darcy was a big name in the city; she figured that William, the only son of old James, would be about this man’s age, but she couldn’t see him well enough to decide if he looked like the pictures in the papers. He nodded, exposing his features to the light long enough to confirm his identity. 'What’s a big shot like you doing in a place like this?'

'I like the entertainment,' he replied leaning against the wall and taking out another cigarette. 'You don’t exactly find this sort of place uptown.'

'What, seedy and cheap?' she snorted, quite prepared to be offended by the rich man’s slumming in her club.

He shook his head. 'Exciting,' he explained. 'Give me jazz and gin over a damn Vivaldi concerto and claret any day.' This was a surprise, and she could not contain her expression. 'And it would upset my mother,' he added light-heartedly, eliciting delicious, throaty laughter from his companion. William felt as if he’d died and gone to heaven. 'Your turn. What’s a looker like you doing singing for a living? I’d think the boys would be knocking down your door, begging you to marry them.'

She smiled bitterly. 'Oh, they knock down my door all right, but it’s not marriage they’re begging for.' William was gripped with powerful jealousy at the thought of other men insinuating themselves on _his_ woman. 'Let’s just say I opened the door a couple of those times, and my folks weren’t so happy about it. I moved out, got this gig, been doing it ever since. Going on four years now.' It was his turn to be surprised; she couldn’t possibly be old enough to have been on her own for so long.

'How old are you?' he asked, concern evident in his voice.

'Twenty-one,' she replied with a fierce pride. William was completely shocked. She was more amazing than he had realised just watching her on stage, and his attraction grew ever stronger.

'I’m impressed. When I was twenty-one, I could hardly dress myself,' he joked, taking an unconscious step towards her.

'Not surprising. I’m sure you had a servant for that.' He sensed the disdain in her voice and flinched; she was so near, physically, but the distance between them was still great. 'In fact, I bet you have a servant for everything. Except maybe for lighting your cigarettes; or did you just not want to expose your dirty little secret to someone else by bringing him here?'

'I haven’t had a valet since I was a boy,' he corrected her. 'In a fit of romance, I helped him to elope with my mother’s maid, and my parents forbade me from having my own servant from that day forward.'

Lizzy had to laugh, completely won over by his charm. 'I see. And are you often inclined to these fits of romance?' she teased back.

He shrugged. 'I’ve come to watch you sing three times a week for nearly two months at the risk of my reputation,' was his reply. Lizzy’s breath caught as she suddenly made the connection; this was her mystery admirer, the 'Rolls Royce Papa' who had bought her that drink.

'I know,' she said, bewildered. Before he could realise what she was about, she reached up and removed his hat, revealing the handsome features he had been concealing. William felt naked, as if a protective shield had been lifted and he was now vulnerable. 'I’ve been wanting to see your face,' she confessed, suddenly removing any desire he might have had to snatch the hat back. 'It sure doesn’t disappoint.' With a provocative smile, she stroked his cheek and ran one finger along his jawline. 'One Exciting Night, eh?' She could feel the muscle tense as William did everything within his power to keep control.

'Take care, Lizzy,' he warned her, 'You don’t know what you’re doing to me.'

Lizzy looked down at his trousers then back up into his eyes with a smirk playing on her lips. 'Oh, I think I do.'

That was it. William couldn’t leave that impertinent smile on her face a moment longer. He grabbed her wrists and pulled her towards him forcefully, releasing all the pent-up desire from her performance and their conversation with an explosive kiss. His hands moved to her waist so he could feel her pressed more tightly against him. She felt his arousal against her belly and tried to revolt against its insinuation.

'I’m not that kind of girl,' she panted when he paused for breath. 'I haven’t survived this long because I’ve whored myself out to every johnny who buys me a drink.'

'Good. I would expect nothing less than to have you all to myself.' His kisses resumed, fiercer than ever, and Lizzy felt her resistance slipping. His excitement was becoming her own as she became aware of the muscles in the arms that encircled her and the great promise of certain other parts of him as well.

'We can’t be seen like this out here,' she acquiesced at last. 'My place is just up the block.' She replaced the hat on his head and led him by the hand to a dingy little three-story building a few minutes’ walk away. They went up the fire escape to avoid any nosy neighbours and entered through Lizzy’s window on the second floor. She had barely had time to switch on a lamp before he grabbed her waist and began kissing her again.

'Lizzy Bennet,' he murmured, mimicking the emcee’s introduction, 'my own little songbird… my woman in red.' His hands wandered everywhere, setting every inch of her skin on fire. 'After the first night I saw you, I spent three days wondering what your mouth would taste like. I had to come see you again, and since then I’ve spent every night wondering what _all_ of you would taste like.' Lizzy moaned softly as his thumbs passed over her nipples. 'Your skin is even softer than I imagined. Like touching silk.' She shivered as his fingertips ran tantalizingly light paths up and down her bare arms.

'I had a dream about you once,' she confessed, giving his mouth a chance to do other things. 'You came to the club when I was rehearsing by myself and walked up to the stage. You never said a word; you just… took me right there. I couldn’t even see your face, but I wanted you.' A strangled cry escaped William’s throat at the thought of mounting her as she sang, her notes mingling with whimpers of pleasure. He couldn’t take much more of this, and to prove his point he scooped her up in his arms.

'Where’s the bedroom?' he asked gruffly, taking advantage of his grip to sidle one hand up her dress. Her excitement was as intense as his, the lightest touch of his fingers causing her to arch back with the force of her response.

'It’s the door on the left. Please hurry.' Having had no intention of dallying in the first place, William gladly followed her orders and was soon lying on top of her in her small bed. Lizzy wrapped her legs around him while pulling off his suit jacket and tie. He took advantage of the position of her legs to push the dress up around her waist.

'Mmm… you’ve got some tasty gams, sheba,' he whispered as he ran his hands from ankle to hip.

Lizzy chuckled at his appellation. 'Sheba? Why’d you call me that?'

William blushed, unaware that he had said his pet name for her aloud. 'I… I don’t know, I just… I’ve thought of you as my girl for a while now. So I started calling you my sheba, just in my head. I didn’t mean…'

Lizzy placed a finger on his lips to silence him. 'That’s very sweet, daddy,' she said, adopting her own pet name for him. He grinned, pleased that she was accepting of this intimacy. 'Now, where were we?' William gently placed her legs down on the bed and sat her up so he could remove her dress.

'I was about to make you want me as badly as I want you,' he growled lasciviously, thrilled to find that she had nothing but knickers on underneath. 'Then again,' he reconsidered, reaching out tentatively to fondle her breasts, 'that might not be possible.' Lizzy fell back on the bed when he touched her and pulled him down by his collar.

'Take off your clothes,' she commanded bluntly. He smiled and stood up, quickly stripping down to nothing. As each garment was discarded, Lizzy’s skin flushed redder, making her feel unbearably warm despite her state of undress. When his shorts finally dropped, Lizzy let out a small, 'Oh!' of appreciation and touched him. William had to clench his jaw tightly and tense every muscle in his body to keep from losing control as her long-desired contact bathed his skin in heat.

'Lizzy… Lizzy, I won’t last… please…' he begged, though for what he wasn’t sure. Lizzy seemed to have her own ideas, though, and enveloped his shaft with her lips. William could feel himself right on the edge, but what sent him careening over was Lizzy humming 'Rolls Royce Papa' as she suckled him. The vibrations combined with the memory of the night he fell in love with her were more than enough catalyst to drive him to oblivion.

His legs no longer able to hold him up, William collapsed forward onto the bed and Lizzy, who adjusted her position to take his weight and stroked his hair until his breathing was normal again. This also neatly coincided with a rekindling of his passion, of which he expended part in tearing off Lizzy’s knickers and driving her mad with a fast and furious tongue. By the time _she_ had recovered, William was ready for much more, and judging by the look on his face when their eyes met again, he meant to continue.

She parted her legs for him without encouragement and begged him with her eyes to fill her completely. William wondered for a moment, considering her age, if she was… but no, he corrected himself, recalling her story outside the club. _Oh, they knock down my door all right, but it’s not marriage they’re begging for… Let’s just say I opened the door a couple of those times…_ So he needn’t worry about that, but he still had no idea what kind of experience she had, and he didn’t want to hurt her. At the same time, he didn’t really want to ask either.

'I’m not sure if I can be gentle, Lizzy. I want you so badly,' he said, hoping that her reply would give him a notion of what to expect.

'It’s fine, William. I’ve been with a man before. Two in fact,' she assured him, answering his unasked question.

He sighed with relief at the small number, then turned to tease her. 'Two is hardly enough to prepare you for the sort of ride I want to give you, my sweet songbird.'

Lizzy greeted his lecherous stare with one of her own. 'I’m up to that challenge.' William took her hips in his hands and lifted them slightly off the bed, giving himself a more advantageous angle of penetration. With a hard, swift thrust, he was embedded to the hilt, both of them crying out with the pleasure and pain of it.

'You’re so small,' he panted, the fact not slowing him down a jot in his quickly-established rhythm.

'And you are _not_ ,' she countered humorously, rocking her hips along with his while his hands ran roughly over her body. He seemed to go deeper still, much farther than she had thought possible from past experience. She cried out her first climax as the perspiration began to glow on their skins. William muttered endearments and curses, all the while growing rougher and wilder with his movements. Finally, he knew he could go no longer, and withdrew just in time for Lizzy’s glistening belly to take the product of his ardour.

Collapsing onto his back next to her, William couldn’t speak for a full five minutes. A tumult of emotions was raging through his soul, the stormy mix dominated by a possessiveness of which he didn’t know he was capable. This was _his_ woman, his alone, and all he wanted was to protect her, cherish her, and love her; to keep her warm in his arms and fill her with his passion. Beside him, Lizzy stretched languidly, a cat-like smile on her face as she reached for a towel to clean up.

'I guess you didn’t plan for things to get to this point, Mr. William Darcy,' she teased, 'or you would have been more prepared.' William blushed and pulled her into a spooning position.

'I never thought I would be fortunate enough to speak to you, much less to touch you. I certainly never anticipated… this,' he admitted. 'I’ve dreamed about it, but you’ve always seemed to be a fantasy, never quite real.'

Lizzy reached up behind her to toy with one of his curls, asking, 'And do I feel real to you now?' She pressed her body firmly against him, distinctly feeling his arousal returning against the small of her back.

'You _feel_ real,' he admitted, his fingers tracing a pattern on her outer thigh, 'but I expect to wake up from this dream as I have every other.'

'This isn’t a dream, William,' Lizzy whispered as she lifted her leg to straddle his, giving him the perfect position to enter her again. 'Let me prove it to you.'

**********

William awoke a couple of hours later, still drunk with pleasure and love. His nose was snuggled behind Lizzy’s ear, deeply inhaling the scent of her skin and hair still slightly damp with perspiration, the feel and smell of sex still heavy in the air. Of their own accord, his hands began to wander over her naked skin once more, reminding him of the delights he had so recently taken from her body. Still asleep, she squirmed under his ministrations and whimpered softly with unconscious pleasure.

He watched her and wondered how he had ever been able to sleep without her soft warmth against him.

His hands were growing more insistent now, trying to rouse her with desire. She seemed to be reacting favourably, but when he bent to kiss her cheek, he tasted tears. Her whimpering grew louder, and as he began to make out her words, his heart dropped to his stomach.

'No, George, please, just leave me alone. I swear there’s no one else, I’m just tired. Please… please…' she repeated the word over and over until William couldn’t take anymore and shook her awake. She sat bolt upright and looked around her, frightened, but when she saw William’s concerned face, she smiled and relaxed back into his arms. 'Oh, it’s you,' she said with relief. 'Did I fall asleep?'

'Who is George?' he asked quietly, afraid to incite another desperate reaction, afraid to find out that she wasn’t free like he thought. Lizzy stiffened in his embrace.

'Why do you ask?' she replied cautiously.

'Because you were just talking to him in your sleep, asking him to leave you alone. You told him there was no one else, and you just kept saying ‘please’ over and over. Lizzy, is there someone in your life? Why didn’t you tell me before?'

'No! No, there isn’t anyone. I just… George was a mistake, a _big_ mistake, in my past. He convinced me to come live with him when I left home. It was bad… really bad.' She turned her eyes away, but William forced her to look at him, urging her to go on. 'He drank a lot, a real rummy, you know, and he was mean; he kept a pistol and he’d always threaten me with it if I ever tried to leave him.'

'And what happened?'

Lizzy allowed herself a grin. 'Well, after I found my job at the Kitty Kat, I told the owner, Caterino Delborgo, about how George was treating me so bad. He said if I ever wanted to leave, he’d take care of me and make sure George couldn’t get me. That night, George was really drunk and hit me a few times like he always did… but this time I fought back. I scratched his face, and before he could get the pistol out of his drawer, I had grabbed it and shot him in the… um, where it hurt. At least I thought I did, from the way he was rolling around and crying. It actually just grazed him, but I guess it still hurt, because it gave me time to run over the club and tell Caterino what happened. He sent some boys over to George’s place, brought me here, and that was it. I don’t know what happened, and I don’t want to know. All I know is, I get to have my own place that I’m paying off myself, George has been gone for two years, and I’m glad.'

'But you still have nightmares about him,' William reminded her.

She shook her head. 'I haven’t for a long time. But you’re the first man I’ve let sleep in my bed since then, so it must have just made me think of the last time.'

He ran his index finger down the cheek, still moist with her tears. 'I remind you of him?' he asked sadly.

Lizzy took his hand and kissed it repeatedly. 'No, daddy, no! I just meant that since I hadn’t been with another man since him, I reacted to it like it was him. But that’s all. You’re nothing like him, William, believe me.' He smiled and gave her a light kiss. 'You already made me happier tonight than he ever did,' she admitted shyly. 'I could tell that you wanted _me_. He only wanted me because I was young and didn’t have anybody.' She snuggled closer in William’s arms, in a way that was almost child-like in its innocence, eliciting a protective tenderness in him that made him squeeze her tighter.

'Let me help you forget him,' he whispered. 'I want you to wake up next to me and feel nothing but happiness all the time.'

Lizzy gave him a crooked, sceptical smile and pulled away a bit. 'You say that like you mean to stick around. It’s all right, you don’t have to talk like that to get what you want.'

William looked at her bemusedly, unsure what she meant. 'What are you talking about? Of course I mean to stick around. Why wouldn’t I?'

Lizzy frowned, her turn to be confused. 'But I thought… ‘One Exciting Night’, remember? Wasn’t this what you wanted?'

'No! That is, yes, of course I wanted _this_ but… you thought I only wanted a one-night stand?'

'Don’t you?'

'Of course not! Isn’t it obvious that I…' William stopped short when he realised that it was probably not, in fact, obvious to her. He had lived with the knowledge of his feelings for so long that it seemed as plain a fact as the sun rising and the world turning. He softened his tone and looked directly at her. 'I love you.'

Lizzy drew in a sharp breath and pulled away. 'Don’t be crazy. You don’t know even me.'

'I do, you know I do. That’s why you brought me back here tonight, the first man in two years. It wasn’t just for a quick screw; that you could’ve gotten anytime. I’m sorry if it’s too soon for you to hear it, but it’s the truth. I’ve loved you since the day I first saw you, and I _do_ want to stick around.' She didn’t respond and wouldn’t look up at him. 'Lizzy, I’m begging you, don’t tell me I can’t see you again. That’s what you’re going to say isn’t it? God, I just knew I would futz this up if I ever got the chance to tell you.' He ran a hand roughly through his hair and threw himself back on the bed. 'Dammit!'

'Did you say ‘futz’?' Lizzy giggled, leaning over him with a timid smile on her face. 'I can’t say I’ve heard that from many grown men.' William laughed with her, relieved at her teasing tone. 'William,' she said more seriously, 'you might think you love me, and that’s swell, it really is. If you really want to stick around until you change your mind, I won’t stop you.'

William was not terribly satisfied with this answer, but he realised that this was as close to a declaration as he was going to get at this point. He pulled her down to his chest and kissed her deeply, his tongue softly probing her lips. She responded in kind, her flesh moulding to his again as if they had been coming together for years.

Rolling her over, he made love to her gently now, keeping his eyes open and focused on her face, physically giving her the message she refused to hear in his words. Her body, if not her mind, understood him, and when he tried to pull out this time, she grasped his hips with her legs, forcing him to stay within her as he reached his peak. They fell asleep still intertwined, and Lizzy had no more nightmares.


	3. Chapter 3

William awoke in the morning to an empty bed and the smell of coffee and eggs. He sat up and opened his eyes to the most comforting sight he could think of: a dishevelled Lizzy, wearing his shirt, unbuttoned, with nothing underneath, bearing a breakfast tray. When she saw that he was up, she gave him a bright, unguarded smile not of last night’s vixen, but of innocent satisfaction. The contrasts fascinated him; he had never been so bewitched by a woman as he was by her.

'Good morning,' she said, kissing him on the cheek and setting the tray across his lap. 'Hungry?'

'Famished,' he admitted, patting the bed next to him. She joined him and took her plate from the tray. 'I could certainly get used to waking up this way.'

'You don’t often get breakfast in bed from your girls?' she teased with a twinkle in her eye.

William stroked her cheek and replied quite seriously, 'I meant seeing you as soon as I opened my eyes.'

Lizzy blushed and smiled despite herself. 'So you’re still thinking of keeping this going,' she mused, more a statement than a question.

'Good luck getting rid of me now.' He kissed her hand and set to work on his eggs.

Lizzy watched him, still unsure how to take his assertions. She couldn’t believe that he was actually serious in his claims of love, but he did seem sincere in wanting to continue their relationship. Obviously a very _sexual_ relationship, judging from last night. She thought about their interaction so far, and decided she could do much worse; why not let herself enjoy it while it lasted? Smiling, she took his empty plate and cup and set the tray down. William immediately pulled her into his arms and started on a subject she didn’t expect.  
  
'You’ve told me about the last man, but you haven’t told me about the first.'

Lizzy gave a slight chuckle. 'Ah yes, Billy. Billy was the best-looking boy in the neighbourhood. All the girls were in love with him, but he wanted me. He said he wanted to marry me when I was done with school, so while we waited, why didn’t we practice? I believed him until I found out that he was saying the same thing to Lottie from two streets down. Too bad for me, he knocked her up and _had_ to marry her. That left me with a broken heart and a bad reputation, the perfect condition for George to find me. Things were already bad at home, but when my dad caught me necking with George that was the end. He kicked me out and you know the rest.'

William hugged Lizzy and smothered her face with kisses. 'My poor, poor Lizzy. How could they have all been so stupid?'

'What about you?' she asked, turning the tables. 'You haven’t told me about your past at all. And don’t try to tell me you’re- well, _were_ \- a virgin,' she teased.

'No, not quite. All right, let’s see. It all started when I was fifteen and the new maid, who was very pretty and just turned eighteen, decided I was a fine young man and needed to be introduced to the charms of ladies. It was quite lovely until I discovered that my cousin Rick was also getting her attentions. I didn’t talk to either of them for months and she eventually found another job. My heart was completely broken.'

'Poor William. Did you ever recover?'

'Yes, but not until I was eighteen and Rick introduced me to my next girlfriend. Her name was Sarah and she liked me much more than I liked her. I’m sorry to say I used her more for my own gratification than anything else. That didn’t last long. University was a short series of girls just for fun, but nothing serious until I was twenty-four and I met Caro. We were off and on for about three years. The last time we were ‘on’ she came up to me and said she was having a baby. I immediately offered to marry her and take responsibility, but she laughed and said it wasn’t mine. Turns out that during our ‘off’ times, she was sleeping with my friend John, and it was his. She thought it would be decent to tell me they were getting married, since we were ‘getting romantic again’ and she didn’t want me to get too serious.'

'What a sap!' Lizzy exclaimed. 'It sounds like we both haven’t done too well for ourselves.'

William nodded and drew her to his chest. 'But that’s all over now. It will be different for us,' he promised. Lizzy squirmed uncomfortably and weakly agreed, absentmindedly stroking the trail of dark hair beneath his navel. His breathing quickly grew shallow, his arousal unmistakable under the thin sheet. Back into a situation where she felt at ease, Lizzy sat up and slipped out of his shirt, tossing it aside just in time to be pulled into William’s arms again. 'I can’t get enough of you,' he whispered. 'Never enough.' Lizzy replied by straddling his hips and pulling him deep into her body, her hunger rivalling his. The rest of the morning passed without another word being said.

**********

A week went by, and to Lizzy’s surprise and delight, William came to see her every night, this time better prepared with a package of condoms. On business days he didn’t stay the night, but on Friday he brought his toothbrush and a change of clothes; no pyjamas, noted Lizzy, to which he naughtily replied that he had no intention of wearing anything in her bed. On Saturday morning, Lizzy awoke to see William rummaging through her closets.

'What are you doing daddy? I don’t think anything there will fit you.'

He turned around and stuck out his tongue. 'I’m looking for clothes for _you_. You’re coming home with me today,' he stated.

Lizzy raised an eyebrow. 'Oh really? And when was this decided?'

'When I got up completely stiff this morning from your tiny bed and realised that we haven’t made love on my silk sheets and huge feather mattress yet.'

'Mm, that sounds nice… but since when is it a bad thing for you to get up completely stiff in the morning?' she said provocatively.

He kissed her for her impertinence and handed her the bag. 'Here. Pack. You’re staying with me until Monday.' Lizzy shook her head but did as he asked while he made coffee for them. When they were ready, she locked up her place and followed him down to his car. She stopped dead when she saw it.  
  
'This is your car?' she asked appreciatively.  
  
'That’s my baby,' he confirmed.

She walked all the way around it, then looked up at him with a humorous smirk. 'Well, well… you really are a Rolls Royce Papa.' He merely smiled and opened the door for her. 'Just how rich _are_ you anyway?' she joked. William whispered a very large sum in her ear, eliciting a low whistle. 'Are you razzing me?' she asked with disbelief.

William said not a word, but only smirked until they got to his building. Once inside the penthouse, Lizzy believed him. She wanted to get a grand tour, but William was more interested in showing her the details of the master bedroom suite. After a little rough and tumble convincing Lizzy that silk sheets and huge feather bed were indeed superior to her amenities, they ate the lunch William’s cook had prepared and he showed her around.

Lizzy’s amazement at his wealth while remaining basically disinterested in it endeared her to William even more. He wouldn’t have been quite so gratified if he could have read her thoughts as he showed her through the study, two extra bedrooms, dining room, living room, modern kitchen complete with all the electric appliances, sitting room, bathroom, and terrace. True, she was not interested in his wealth, but the knowledge of its extent only served to strengthen the barrier she was building around her heart. William’s sweetness, charm, and overwhelming passion were starting to affect her, and she was beginning to believe his talk of love and the future.

Now, seeing him in his true environment rather than in her shabby apartment made her realise that what he spoke of would never be possible. The social expectations of being in a family such as his would never allow for him to acknowledge her publicly; the best she could hope for was to be a kept mistress when he married a wealthy socialite, and that she could never stand.

But it was so hard to distance herself. When he smiled at her, she felt like the only girl in the world, and when they made love, she could feel him giving her his soul. It couldn’t last though, and she knew it but couldn’t hate him for it. She only hoped to have the strength to stay detached and whole when he did leave her.

'I love you,' he said into her ear as he wrapped his arms around her and interrupted her reverie. She turned and took his hand with a smile, leading him to the bedroom once more.

'Show me.'

**********

The weekend sped by, the couple only leaving the penthouse for Lizzy’s act on Saturday night. Most of that time was spent in William’s bed and without the benefit of clothing; this comforted Lizzy because it reminded her of her place, and comforted William because his hunger for her seemed never to be sated. He was very reluctant to return her to her apartment on Monday morning, but he had a meeting with Rick, and she had to work at the club.

'Lizzy, could you get my socks from the top drawer please?' he called out from the bathroom as he towelled off from his bath.

'Posilutely daddy,' she yelled back. He waited for her to come, but when a minute or two had passed with no sign of her, he went into the bedroom.

'Lizzy? Baby, what are you doing?' He came over to her and saw that she was frozen in place looking at the drawer. Knowing there was nothing terribly riveting in there, he placed his hands on her shoulders to draw her attention. She jerked back violently and hugged herself, looking somewhat like a caged animal.

'What is that?' she asked coldly.

'My socks?' he asked confusedly.

'You know what I’m talking about,' she spat back, not amused. William looked into the drawer again and saw what had frightened her: the pistol.

'Lizzy, it’s not what you think. Rick gave that to me a long time ago; he thought I needed to protect myself if I insisted on going to the Kitty Kat all the time. I’ve never used it, I swear. I don’t even have bullets.'

Lizzy relaxed and wrapped her arms around him. 'I’m sorry, daddy. I guess I’m still jumpy around them.'

He kissed the top of her head and got the socks out himself. 'Nothing to be sorry about, sheba. Come help me get dressed.' He sat on the bed to put his socks on, but Lizzy straddled his lap before he could do so.

'I like helping you get undressed much better,' she said provocatively, toying with the straps of her chemise.

'I do too,' William moaned as she began slowly grinding against him, 'but I need to dress. Rick is expecting me at ten.'

'It’s only nine,' she whispered, pulling the chemise off entirely. 'I’ll make sure you’re _off_ with plenty of time to spare.' She smirked at her double-entendre and pushed William flat on his back. 'Don’t worry. This won’t take long.'

He grabbed her wrists and pulled her down. 'Take your time. Rick can wait.'

At 10:42, William finally arrived in Rick’s office, his hair still wet from a second bath and a satisfied glow in his eyes. Rick looked sarcastically from his watch to his cousin several times before noticing the look on William’s face.

'Oh my God… you were late to this meeting because you were getting laid!' he exclaimed incredulously. 'What is going on with you Willy? You left early every day last week instead of your usual three hours late, you can’t keep your mind on your work, and now you’re even getting your nookie before coming in. It sounds like something I would do! She must be good.'

'She is.'

'Do I know her?'

William, eager to discontinue this subject, was suddenly all business. 'No. Can we talk about business now?'

Rick shrugged and backed off. 'Fine, fine. It looks like you will need to take that trip to Boston next month after all. I would go, but your father doesn’t trust me with this client.'

William snorted. 'Maybe because you tried to sleep with his wife when they came here?'

'No, _she_ tried to sleep with _me_. I merely didn’t resist her. Anyway, nothing happened.'

'But I still spent days convincing him that it was all a misunderstanding and that there was a perfectly innocent reason for you to be stroking her leg.'

'What did you tell him?'  
  
'That she had an itch and asked you to scratch it,' he snickered.

Rick laughed. 'How very true,' he mused. 'Well, the important thing is we kept his business, but now he wants more attention. I’ve already arranged your train tickets. You’ll be there from the third to the tenth.'

'So long? Is that really necessary?' The thought of being away from Lizzy that long, even after only a week with her, was painful.

'Afraid so. Don’t worry; maybe your bit of calico will go with you.'

William shot Rick a withering gaze. 'Go chase yourself Rick. Stick to business. What’s next?'

After a very long day of work and putting up with Rick’s taunting, William was extremely relieved to make his way to Lizzy’s that night. She met his enthusiastic greeting with a laugh.

'Gee, daddy, it’s not like you’ve been gone that long!' she teased. 'Did you miss me that much?'

'I always miss you when we’re not together. Want to go to Boston?' he asked, cuddling her and kissing her neck.

'Right now?'

'Next month. I have a business trip and I don’t want to be without you for 8 days.'

Lizzy smiled and kissed him. 'Sorry William. I need to work. I can’t be gone that long. Besides, I can’t afford it.'

'Don’t be absurd. Obviously, I would pay for it.'

'I still have to work,' Lizzy insisted, neatly sidestepping the money issue. 'Mr. Delborgo would never give me that much time off at this time of year. He already asked me to sing five times a week starting next week.'

'What’s so special about this time of year?'

'When it starts to get colder, people want to come inside and have drinks more. He wants to make sure they’re entertained, and he says I’m the most popular act,' she shrugged modestly. 'It’s good money. I may even be able to buy you a present by the time it’s Christmas!' she joked. When she realised what she had said, the smile left her face and she quickly turned around to hide her changed expression. 'Do you want something to eat?'

William smiled, satisfied at what he saw as her faith in the longevity of their relationship. 'Yes, please! I didn’t have time for lunch today.' They ate dinner together and went to bed almost immediately afterwards, William barely able to keep his hands off Lizzy for as long as it took to wash the dishes.

Later, he lay awake listening to her soft, slow breathing and thought about the future. He tried to picture various scenarios in which he introduced her to his family, but none of them had very favourable outcomes. If he intended to stay with Lizzy, certain precautions would have to be taken. No doubt his father wouldn’t stand for the relationship, and he could lose his job at the family company; Lizzy’s pay would never support them both, but if they had enough money saved up, he would have plenty of time to find other work. With even just one of his paycheques he was sure he could buy her tiny apartment, and it would undoubtedly be less expensive to live there. He made a few rapid calculations in his head and decided that if necessary, he could sell the penthouse and Phantom- this thought was painful- for a pretty sum that would last for a long time if used correctly.

His mind was several years into the future before he realised that he was actually planning their lives together after only a week of seeing each other; to be more precise, of sleeping together. It hadn’t taken a moment for him to give up everything, in his mind, in exchange for a life with a woman he barely knew. Surprisingly, the thought didn’t frighten him a bit; rather, he found himself somewhat romanced by the idea of sacrificing all for love. His musings were interrupted by Lizzy stirring beside him.

'Still awake, daddy?' she asked sleepily.

William kissed her bare shoulder. 'Just watching you sleep. You look so beautiful.'

She gave him a drowsy smile and peck on the lips. 'Silly goose. Go to sleep, sweetheart,' she suggested before rolling over and following her own advice. He grinned and snuggled up to her, falling asleep in the comfort of her scent and warmth.

**********

It was another two weeks before William had to leave for his trip, but he spent every spare moment with Lizzy, as if to save up the time. Lizzy herself was a bit apprehensive about this trip, seeing it as a test of William’s devotion; she half-expected him to return to tell her that he had met someone else, gotten over her, or worse, not even bother to come back to break her heart. He insisted that she accompany him to the train station; on the platform, she stared at him, memorizing his features in case it was the last time she would see them. William tried to see the apprehension in her eyes as simple concern for his well-being, but he feared there was more to it. He bid her adieu with a deep, passionate kiss in a hidden corner of the station in a vain attempt to assuage her fears; for Lizzy, the fact that they had been concealed said more than the act itself.

In terms of convincing her of his affection, William was more successful with the telegram he sent her upon his arrival in Boston. Lizzy had been surprised to receive it during breakfast the next morning. She had never gotten a telegram before, and at first, she was concerned; when she saw the message, however, she had to smile despite herself.

_I can still taste your sweetness on my lips Stop How will I survive when the flavour fades?_

The silly grin lasted through her act that night, and she sang 'Rolls Royce Papa' to him, wherever he was.

Each day brought a new telegram, each message doing its part to tear down her carefully constructed wall of separation.

_I could hardly sleep without the smell of your hair filling my nose Stop I miss you_

_My fingertips ache for the feel of your skin Stop I adore you_

_How did I live without you for 28 years yet find myself barely able to survive just 8 days without you now?_

His notes helped soothe her loneliness, but William was having a much harder time of it. The business went smoothly but was tedious and required more attention than he could happily give. He could only let himself think of Lizzy when he arrived back at the hotel after a long day of work and ordered the telegram for the next day, and throughout the night until he fell asleep. He missed her desperately, and could only hope that she was feeling the same way.

Midweek he decided that after all this deprivation, he needed to saturate himself with her as soon as he could; he called his housekeeper and told her to give herself and the rest of the staff the weekend off, leaving enough meals for the weekend in the refrigerator for him. William’s last three telegrams carried a hint of the urgency that he felt.

_I miss you Stop Call in sick this weekend I need to have you all to myself when I get back_

_I miss you I love you I miss you I love you_

The final one had said simply: _I need you_

Caterino had given Lizzy the night off Saturday, but she still had to work on Friday, the day William was to return. She rang his apartment to leave a message with his housekeeper informing him of this. Thus, it was not much of a surprise when she stepped out of the club and saw William’s car out front and the man himself leaning against it, eagerly scanning the alley for her form. She couldn’t see his face because of the hat he still instinctively wore when he came to the Kitty Kat, but she noticed a shift in his entire demeanour the moment he recognised her. The happiness he radiated just from seeing her almost made her cry with relief and joy.

With absolutely no thought of the world around them, William swept her up in his arms and just held her, reacquainting himself with the feel of her. Lizzy returned his embrace with equal force, steadying herself and wiping away her tears before speaking.

'Let’s get out of here,' she whispered huskily. William happily obliged by speeding all the way to the penthouse to begin the amorous weekend he had planned. She barely had time to get in the door before William began unhooking her dress and attacking her neck with little love bites. He gave her no time to react before he had her naked and pinned against the wall.

'God, I’ve missed you,' he moaned, ripping off his shirt while she worked on his trousers. 'I am never leaving this town again except with you.' He was finally freed now, and after quickly slipping on a condom, entered her swiftly and roughly.

Lizzy cried out and wrapped her legs around his waist. 'As soon as I saw you, I couldn’t wait to make love to you again,' Lizzy confessed between panting breaths. 'I almost asked you to park the car somewhere.'

'I almost did park the car somewhere,' he informed her, continuing his mad thrusting until his climax overtook him.

'You’re driving me crazy, Lizzy,' he panted, sliding down to the floor and pulling her with him. 'I need you constantly. So much it hurts sometimes.'

'What do you want me to do, daddy?' she asked, stroking his hair.

'Stay with me always.'

She smiled a bit nervously. 'I’ll stay with you until you want me to go.'

William beamed as if she had just given him the world’s greatest gift. ' _That_ , sheba, is exactly the same thing.'


	4. Chapter 4

Friday night through Saturday afternoon brought little sleep for the couple; food and bathing had been incorporated into their amorous activities, and they were far more interested in each other than rest. Eventually, though, they couldn’t ignore the need any longer, and slept heavily through the evening and most of the night. Around three Lizzy grew a bit restless, still physically exhausted but hunger beginning to rouse her.

Lizzy’s light slumber was finally interrupted by the rumbling of William’s stomach. She sat up and shook his shoulder to wake him. William groaned and pulled her back into his arms, grumpily protesting her cruel disturbance of his sleep.

'William, your stomach is growling. I’m hungry too, so I thought I’d make us some sandwiches. I’ll be back in a minute.'

'All right,' he grudgingly acquiesced, 'but only because I want you to keep up your strength; I have plans for you.' Lizzy gave him a playful slap on the wrist and got up, slipping on her knickers and his pyjama top, not bothering to button it up, before heading to the kitchen. She hummed to herself as she raided the refrigerator, not realising that she wasn’t alone.

At a rather ungodly hour, Rick had come to crash at William’s penthouse after a night of carousing at Cleopatra’s Eye. The noise in the kitchen carried into the living room, where he was sleeping off his drunken stupor on one of the couches. Disoriented and groggy, he stumbled into the kitchen to ask William for some food. But when he reached the kitchen doorway, he realised that it wasn’t William, though the person in the kitchen _was_ wearing his shirt. He stood there and stared, trying to figure out who she was while she searched the cabinets for plates. When she finally turned around and saw him, she let out a sharp squeal and dropped the plate to the floor, where it shattered.

'Who are you?' she asked him, clutching the shirt closed. The dishevelled man before her looked vaguely familiar, and she realised that he looked a bit like William. _A relative?_ she thought.

'I’m Rick,' he answered, taking a seat at the kitchen table. 'Who are you? And why are you in my cousin’s kitchen?'

'I’m Lizzy, and I’m making a sandwich,' she replied pertly. Rick frowned and scratched his head trying to associate that name with a memory he couldn’t quite retrieve. Seeing that he was contemplating her information, Lizzy bent down to clean up the plate shards.

'Lizzy? Is everything all right?' came William’s voice as he walked in wearing only the other half of the pyjamas. 'I thought I heard something b- Rick, what are you doing here?'

'I was out a little too late tonight, so I came here to crash. ‘Lizzy’ woke me up with her sandwich-making. Oh my God… Lizzy… _Lizzy_?! William, do not tell me that this is _Lizzy_ Lizzy.'

'Rick, this is Lizzy Bennet. Lizzy, this is my cousin, Rick Fitzwilliam.'

Rick closed his eyes and began shaking his head. 'No, no, no… she is that Lizzy, isn’t she? Holy fuck, Willy, if I had known I would never have taken you to that place. Your parents are going to kill you!'

'Nice to meet you too,' Lizzy said sarcastically, turning her attention back to the sandwiches. 'Daddy, do you want cheese on yours?'

William kissed her cheek. 'Yes please. Would you excuse me for a moment? I’m going to take Rick into the living room and speak with him.'

'Don’t mind me. Should I make an extra sandwich?'

'Hungry, Rick?' Rick nodded confusedly, following William to the living room as Lizzy set to work on his sandwich. 'Why the hell are you here, Rick?'

'I told you. The question is, what is _she_ doing here?'

'Lizzy is my guest. Beyond that it is none of your business.'

'William, if you want to play around with your little flapper, fine. I’m certainly not one to chastise you for needing a good lay. Just be careful; your parents wouldn’t approve of this little affair.'

William walked across the room simply to keep from smashing his cousin’s teeth in. 'It’s not like that, Rick.'

'No? So she’s making you sandwiches at four o’clock in the morning while wearing your pyjamas, unbuttoned I might add, but it’s not like that?'

'I mean it’s not the kind of affair you have with your easy little whores,' William spat back. 'Lizzy means something to me. She’s not just a good lay, as you so charmingly put it. I’m in love with her, and I have been since I first set eyes on her.'

'That’s crazy! Don’t give me this romantic bushwa, Willy. I’m sure she’s quite a bearcat, but don’t go confusing love and sex.'

'Rick, I understand your surprise, but if you don’t want me to kill you with my bare hands, you will stop talking about Lizzy in this derogatory manner. I don’t care if you believe me or not, but you will at least show her some respect.' Their argument was interrupted by the arrival of the lady herself, bearing three sandwiches and orange juice. Rick took his plate and carefully watched William and Lizzy’s interaction.

She set their plates down on the table and handed William his glass, which he took without ever looking away from her eyes. He smiled and stroked her cheek, eliciting a smile and blush from her. Whatever he then whispered in her ear only made her blush more deeply, and she playfully pushed him away and sat down.

Rick shook his head again, this time in amazement. 'I’ll be damned. It is true. Willy, you are in trouble.' Nodding at Lizzy, Rick took his food to the kitchen and left them alone once more. William took Lizzy’s hand and kissed it.

'Is this going to be a problem?' she asked nervously.

William shook his head. 'No. He understands now. Come on, let’s finish these in the bedroom.' With one last look back towards the kitchen, the couple retired for a few more hours of sleep. When they again emerged later that morning, Rick was gone, but they found a note in the kitchen.

_Don’t worry, I won’t rat you out. Just be cautious so the rest of the Darcy clan doesn’t find you out some other way. Take care of this one, Willy… she makes a ducky sandwich._

**********

September passed, and as the weather cooled, the romance between Lizzy and William heated up even further. Rare was the night that did not see them together, but things were progressing outside of the bedroom as well. Often they would sit cuddled together in the living room, listening to the radio and talking. To William’s surprise, they often argued about politics; Lizzy, it turned out, was not a typical flapper, interested only in flouting social conventions, but was also a bit of a reformer at heart. There had only been one election since her twenty-first birthday, but she had been the first in line at the poll that day. She was ardently against Coolidge and her hero was Teddy Roosevelt. He had never met a woman who knew so much and could defend her position so well. Despite his wealth, William found himself increasingly swayed by Lizzy’s impassioned speeches, and laughingly promised her that he would vote Progressive in the next election.

Lizzy was feeling more comfortable with William as the time passed, and finally truly believed him when he said he loved her; perhaps not enough to make their affair permanent, but he did love her in his own way. She was also beginning to fall in love with him, each day surrendering a bit more of her heart; perhaps not enough to admit it yet, but she was falling. The idea was frightening, and there were many times when she considered breaking things off. She knew that the longer they were together, the harder it would be to let go, but each time she would open her mouth to say it, he would do something so sweet and thoughtful that she just couldn’t bring herself to do it.

Had she known where _his_ thoughts tended, she probably wouldn’t have been so concerned. While she wrestled with her feelings, William wrestled with whether it was too soon to propose. He eventually decided that it was indeed too soon, but it wouldn’t hurt to buy an engagement ring just in case the right time did come along. After receiving his next paycheque, he made a special trip to Broadway.

He wandered around [Tiffany and Company](http://www.tiffany.com/) for nearly half an hour with a lost look on his face. Finally, an older gentleman approached him and asked if he could offer any assistance.

'Yes, please,' William accepted with relief. 'I need an engagement ring.' The man smiled and led him to a case containing at least two dozen exquisite diamond rings. Not one was what he sought. 'Do you have rubies?' he asked impulsively. The jeweller nodded and led him to another case, this one glowing with the red gems. William skipped directly over the gold ones and directed his attention at the platinum bands. In seconds, he found the perfect [ring](https://i.imgur.com/axOJZc1.png).

'See anything that you like?' the jeweller urged.

'I’ll take that one,' William replied, pointing at the platinum and ruby art deco ring.

'An excellent choice, the latest design from Paris,' the man agreed. 'What is the size?'

'She’s very small. Her ring finger is no thicker than my pinky.'

'I think a size four would be best then.' William evaluated the ring and nodded, paying the high price without a second thought. 'A special lady?' the older gentleman asked with a smile.

'Indeed,' William replied quietly, staring at the ring as if hypnotised. At last, he handed it back to the jeweller, who put it in the Tiffany blue box and returned it to him with a wink.

'Good luck, son. I hope she says yes.'

'Me too,' William sighed. 'Me too.'

The early autumn was a relatively slow time for society, but in October the balls began again full force. William managed to evade the first few with one or another claim of business, but his father, a veteran of the Spanish-American War, expected him to go to the Military Ball and he felt obligated to attend that one. Thus, he found himself driving the Phantom to the Plaza Hotel instead of the Kitty Kat Lounge on a cool Saturday night.

It was just as tedious as he remembered. William looked around the hall with a bored detachment that spoke of his desire to be anywhere but in this room. He had never been overly fond of these functions, but now he was finding it downright intolerable. After the dynamic, carefree lifestyle with which he had grown accustomed in Lizzy’s world, his old existence seemed overly formal, stuffy, and dull. He had half-heartedly danced with a couple of girls Rick had thrown in his direction, simply for show and to keep his mother at bay; but it had been several songs since he’d hit the floor, and he noticed with concern that Anne seemed to be heading his way with some eager debutante at her elbow.

'William! Sweet-ums, come here!' Anne waved him over to the dance floor while her companion blushed demurely. 'Sweetheart, this is Miss Lucy Steele, of the Steeles of Massapequa,' she said in a tone that implied the importance- or more accurately, the wealth- of the Steeles of Massapequa. Miss Lucy Steele curtsied and batted her eyelashes like a well-trained husband-hunting socialite. 'This is my son, William Darcy.'

William sighed and took her hand. 'A pleasure, Miss Steele,' he said in what he hoped was a pleasant tone. 'May I be so bold as to ask for this dance?'

'Of course, Mr. Darcy. But please, call me Lucy.' William nodded and led her out onto the floor without making a move towards the intimacy she was offering. They waltzed with mostly one-sided conversation, Lucy babbling on about her accomplishments and William muttering monosyllabic replies that he hoped were appropriate. Not that it would have mattered, of course, as Lucy was already sold on William thanks to his looks, family name and bank account. A brief silence indicated to William that Lucy was waiting for him to start a topic now, probably to show that she understood a wife’s place of silence as well as she understood the coquetry of catching a man.

'Er, are you fond of music?' he asked awkwardly.

'Oh, I simply _adore_ music!' she replied enthusiastically, blithely ignoring the fact that she had already spoken of music to him. 'I’m quite good at the piano, you know. I _love_ Bach and Mozart and Bizet… really, all the German composers are so wonderful, don’t you think?' William tried very hard not to snort and inform her that Mozart and Bizet were not German, but figured it would be a waste of breath to try to explain that Europe was composed of many countries; he doubted her small intellect could handle the shock.

'What about jazz?' he asked impulsively, then mentally kicked himself upon seeing Lucy’s nose wrinkle up in disdain. This reaction was immediately followed by a look of understanding; she thought he was testing her suitability by asking her this shocking question.

'Why, obviously I find it vulgar and shameful. It promotes drunkenness and looseness, and I would never allow my children to be exposed to such sinful, wicked influences,' she concluded cheerfully, repeating something she had clearly read in a pamphlet from the Woman's Christian Temperance Union or something of the kind. He smiled weakly and nodded. 'Speaking of children, I just adore them,' she added slyly. 'I know just how I would raise them to be productive, upstanding citizens.'

Now William could not help rolling his eyes. 'I’m sure you’ll make a fine mother,' he said blandly, causing her to beam eagerly. 'The man who fathers your children will be very fortunate.' The practiced monotone in which he delivered these trite flatteries seemed to go unnoticed by his partner, who was focused solely on his words. She blushed prettily and looked seductively (or so she thought) into William’s eyes.

'Do you know of anyone who might fill that role?' she asked huskily. William looked around the room and settled his eyes on Robert Ferrars, of the Ferrars of Schenectady, who was looking at the pair with disapproval.

'I have heard that Bobby Ferrars has his eye on you,' he whispered conspiratorially. Lucy looked somewhat displeased at first, but decided that a Ferrars, though not quite as good as a Darcy, wasn’t anything to sneeze at either. 'Shall we dance his way and see if he offers to cut in?' His partner gave a weak smile and nod. Sure enough, as soon as they got near, Robert Ferrars tapped William on the shoulder. He gladly relinquished Lucy, who was soon gaily flirting with Robert as ambitiously as she had with William. Relieved, William made his way to the refreshments table, disappointed that this particularly party was respectable enough to have only punch.

'William!' hissed a female voice behind him. 'What are you doing, letting that Ferrars boy take away your dance partner? Do you have any idea how well-off her father is?'

'Mother, she’s a bore and a twit. I was more than happy to pass her over.'

'She’s a perfectly decent young lady,' Anne tsked, 'and from a very respectable family. I have it on good authority that she is very accomplished and can manage a household wonderfully. That is just what you should be looking for in a wife.'

William thought briefly of the ring waiting in his bureau for a woman who almost certainly did not meet his mother’s definition of a suitable wife. 'If _that_ is what I should be looking for in a wife, I don’t think I’ll ever get married, thank you.'

Anne gave an exasperated sigh. 'Really William, what is with you lately? Everything seems to bore you, and none of the girls I’ve introduced you to even begin to catch your interest.'

'Perhaps you have been showing me the wrong girls,' he said flippantly. _Of course, they’re all wrong if they aren’t Lizzy._

'Don’t be absurd. These are the top girls in society! They’re perfect for you.'

'Your mother is right, son.' William closed his eyes at the sound of his father’s voice. 'Look around this room. Look at these fine young fillies, ripe and ready to breed. You could do much worse than a nice, rich, refined girl with good hips. None of those flapper girls with bodies like little boys,' he snorted disparagingly.

'Could you be anymore vulgar?' William replied through clenched teeth. 'They aren’t livestock, they’re people.'

'But they’re women, and you have to think about these things when you get married. You can’t ask for more than a pretty, wealthy girl from a good family,' James insisted, hugging his wife affectionately. Anne smiled beatifically, perfectly content with this description of herself.

'How about a mind, or a personality?' William muttered.

'Oh, these girls are clever enough for their station. They can manage a household, raise fine children, and play piano.'

'Whatever you say,' William gave up. 'Who’s the next dull deb?'

Several mind-numbing dances later, William was finally free, and sped the Phantom home with relief. He collapsed on the bed and rubbed his temples, his head aching from the noise, smoke, and insipid conversation of a dozen squeaky-voiced debs. He longed to hear Lizzy’s low, husky voice, such a contrast to their 'refined' high pitch, and her straightforward, no-nonsense conversation, the complete opposite of the idiotic chatter of flirting socialites. He rose and opened his bureau drawer, taking out the ruby ring and contemplating first Lizzy’s reaction to it, and then his parents’. Driven by an impulse he had long forgotten how to control, William returned the ring to its hiding place and left the penthouse again, this time driving to Lizzy’s place as fast as his Rolls could take him.

It was late, and he didn’t want to frighten her by knocking on the door, so he went up the fire escape to the window he knew would be unlocked. Sure enough, it slid up easily and he stepped into the apartment as quietly as he could, then snuck into Lizzy’s bedroom where she lay asleep in her small bed. She wore a red silk nightgown he had given her; she looked so innocent and yet so sensual that he could not resist the urge to lie next to her. He stripped down to his undershirt and shorts and crawled into bed, pressing himself against her slight body to draw some of its warmth. Lizzy slept through it all until his hand reached up to cup her breast; then she suddenly stiffened and opened her mouth to scream.

'Sheba, it’s me,' he whispered reassuringly, covering her mouth to keep her silent. 'It’s William, baby.' She relaxed at the sound of his voice but looked over her shoulder at him to confirm his identity.

'You scared me, daddy. What are you doing here? I thought you had some rich boy thing to do?' she asked, snuggling comfortably against him with one leg draped over his.

'Yes, my parents forced me to go to a debutante ball and paraded a gaggle of insipid socialites in front of me. It was awful. I’ve never danced with so many dumb Doras in my life.'

'But weren’t they all refined and pretty? Completely different from me?'

'Yes, you are completely different from them, and thank God for it.' William smiled and pulled her closer as she bent her leg a bit so that it rested higher on his hips, and thus brushed against his growing arousal.

'Hmm… maybe they weren’t so unappealing after all,' she muttered sarcastically, nudging him with her thigh. He pulled her completely on top of him so that his erection pressed squarely against her stomach.

' _That_ is a consequence of what happens every time _you_ touch me, Lizzy,' he corrected her. 'I can’t remember the last time I was, um, _excited_ by another woman. Only you have the power to rouse me like this,' he admitted. He rolled her over now, pressing even more firmly against her. 'The way you smell after we make love is more seductive than any French perfume,' he murmured, pushing down the straps of her nightgown to expose her breasts, which he began to kiss and fondle. 'Your little body is more appealing than the curviest, ‘breedable’ deb,' he continued, the nightgown going lower to reveal her stomach, her hips, then finally coming off entirely. 'Your taste,' he panted, running his tongue along her wet core, 'is sweeter than the ripest fruit.' He dove in again, sucking lightly on her most sensitive spot. 'God, I love you.'

'William,' she breathed, nudging him with her legs to stop. He looked up at her face from between her thighs, awaiting her instructions. 'William, I…' she hesitated, looking suddenly frightened. 'I… want you to make love to me,' she finished hastily, reaching into the drawer on her nightstand for a condom. He moved back up her body and indulged her with pleasure until they succumbed to exhaustion and fell asleep entangled in each other’s arms.


	5. Chapter 5

_I love you._ Three little words. Lizzy said them to William every day, in thousands of ways except the most important: vocally. He saw it in her eyes, in her body, in the way she touched him. But until she actually _said_ it, he was too afraid to take the ruby ring out of its secure place in the bureau drawer. He wanted her to be as sure about him as he was about her, but more than that, he didn’t want to risk her saying no. So he waited… and the ring sat in the drawer through October and November.

William had never been extremely close to his parents, but as the autumn went on, he spent even less time at the Darcy mansion, only attending events he absolutely couldn’t avoid and only going to dinner when his mother left pointed messages with his secretary. One of the very few things he would be unable to avoid was Thanksgiving dinner. This would be the first holiday he had the opportunity to share with Lizzy, and he wanted very much to spend it with her; the way he saw it, she was the only thing he had to be thankful for, so it seemed only natural for them to spend it together. Unfortunately, his parents probably wouldn’t feel the same way.

A week before the holiday, he picked her up at the Kitty Kat after work and took her back to the penthouse as usual. Once there he broached the subject, having decided to give her the choice of whether or not they would spend the next Thursday together.

'What are you doing for Thanksgiving?'

'Same thing I do for Christmas and Easter. Caterino gives everyone the night off, so some girls from the club and Charlie and I have dinner together. What about you? Big swanky family dinner?'

'Nothing too big. Just the Darcys and the Fitzwilliams as usual. The big family reunion is the annual after-Christmas luncheon. Thanksgiving is simple in comparison.' He sat down and pulled her onto his lap. 'Would… would you rather spend it together?' This unexpected question caused Lizzy to turn her head sharply towards him.

'Are you razzing me?' she asked, eliciting a laugh from William.

'You’re really the cat’s pyjamas when you say that. And no, I’m not razzing you. Would you like to spend Thanksgiving together?'

'Would that mean you wouldn’t spend it with your parents?' He nodded. 'I don’t think so, daddy. Then you’ll have to explain what you _are_ doing, and knowing you, you’ll eventually say something about me, and it will be a big fight. Don’t worry about it.' He shrugged but was a bit relieved at her decision; he wasn’t quite ready to expose their relationship to the world, though not for the reasons Lizzy thought. If they were public, he would have to share her, take her places and introduce her to people, and that would mean he couldn’t have her all to himself anymore. He wanted to cherish that a little longer before the insular fantasy ended.

'How about we spend the rest of that weekend together then? Friday I pick you up at work and we have our own Thanksgiving.'

'I got something you can give thanks for right now,' Lizzy replied with a little squirm, giving him her assent and ending the discussion in one provocative comment.

'I bet you do. Let’s go to bed.'

**********

'William, we’ve missed you at the balls this season,' Margaret Fitzwilliam complained almost as soon as she had come through the door and claimed a kiss from her nephew. 'It’s been a terrible disappointment for the young ladies.'

'It’s true, Billy,' confirmed Henry Fitzwilliam, using his customary nickname for William, which also happened to be the one William most despised. 'The gals have gotten so desperate, they’re even paying attention to my waste of a son.'

'My apologies, Aunt Madge, but I’ve been very busy.' William wasn’t overly fond of his aunt and uncle, but at least he had to see them less often than he had to see his parents. 'Anyway, I’m sure Rick is far more entertaining than I am.'

'You’re on the trolley there, Willy,' Rick replied. 'But I would appreciate your company now and then so I don’t have to beat them off with a stick.'

'Uncle Henry, may I offer you a drink?' William replied, changing the subject so it wouldn’t get to the point where he would have to explain his absence.

Dinner went relatively smoothly considering the company. The women harassed William and Rick about finding suitable girls and getting married, the men argued about business and politics. Everyone drank too much and had to stay the night. All in all, it was a typical Thanksgiving at the Darcy mansion, and William was more than happy to leave the next day despite his hangover. Two aspirins, a long nap, and several strong cups of black coffee later he was back in the saddle and ready to spend a relaxing weekend with Lizzy.

**********

'Are you hungry?' Lizzy asked as soon as she had taken off her coat. 'Charlie from the club gave me a bunch of books the other day, and one of them is this great Metropolitan Cook Book. There’s a casserole that looks really good.' She looked so eager he didn’t have the heart to tell her that the cook had left them plenty of food for the weekend. Instead, he smiled and led her to the kitchen.

'If you need anything I don’t have, just call the grocer. I have to go through these papers before dinner.' With a kiss on his cheek, Lizzy got to work, donning an apron and fetching all the ingredients. After several minutes of preparation, she put the casserole in the oven and sat next to William at the kitchen table.

'Whatchya working on?'

'Just some end-of-the-year figures. My father likes to check the accountants’ work, and he thinks it’s good practice for me.'

'Sounds dull,' she said sympathetically.

'It isn’t too bad, but I’d rather be necking with you,' he replied with a kiss that quickly deepened. He pulled away before things progressed further. 'Mmm… if I start with that, I’ll never stop.' Lizzy shrugged and pulled a book out of her overnight bag. ' _Women in Love_? Another gift from this Charlie?' he asked, a bit shocked.

'Mm hmm,' she mumbled, opening to the marked page. 'It’s quite good.'

'It isn’t really proper for young ladies to read,' he said disapprovingly.

Lizzy looked up at him with disbelief. 'William, I work for a gangster and have a lover. It’s not exactly shocking material to me.'

He frowned until he realised that he was the lover she meant. 'Oh. Well, I suppose. Is it very scandalous?' he asked with eager curiosity now that his sensibilities were no longer ruffled.

'Not so far, but it’s early yet,' she smiled before returning to the page. 'Get back to work.'

'Yes ma’am.' They sat in silence, wrapped up in their own activities for the next hour. William’s stomach started to growl just as dinner was ready.

The oven timer buzzed, and Lizzy got up to get the casserole out while William continued to look through his papers. She hummed as she set the hot pan down on the counter and lifted the cover with her oven mitt to check that it was ready. She presented such a perfect picture of domesticity that William couldn’t help but smile. Lizzy looked over just in time to catch the warm expression on his face before he turned back to his work.

She would never be able to say why that moment changed everything. William had smiled at her hundreds of times without affecting her this way. Perhaps the difference was that there was nothing behind this smile; it wasn’t the first step of that evening’s lovemaking session, it wasn’t part of his longstanding efforts to make her love him. It was simply a smile, an unconscious and candid expression of the happiness he felt just from being near her. The words formed in her mind before she could consciously stop them. _I love you._ She looked away quickly and bit her lip before the words could escape her mouth. She loved him. But she couldn’t tell him yet.

'Ready to eat?' she asked a bit too cheerfully. Fortunately, William was too hungry to notice the slight hitch in her voice.

'Famished!' Business was put aside for the night, as the couple enjoyed a quiet dinner and a bottle of wine before retiring. Lizzy initiated their lovemaking, setting a slow and sensuous pace that she hoped expressed the deeper tenderness she now realised she felt. They remained in a tight embrace for a long time afterwards, William able to sense a change but uncertain as to its nature. Finally, his arms started to relax around her, and she slid down to his side.

The soft, regular sound of William’s breathing told Lizzy that he had fallen asleep. She decided to take advantage of his unconsciousness to practice the words she had only just come to terms with feeling. Rolling onto her side to look at him, she ran her fingertip lightly along the lines of his face.

'I…' she began in a quiet whisper, still afraid to declare her feelings aloud. 'I… I love you.' Her voice was so soft she could barely hear herself. 'I love you,' she tried again, a bit louder and firmer. 'I love you, daddy. I love you, _William_. William Darcy, I love you.' She smiled at her silliness and placed a gentle peck on his lips. 'I love you.' This time, William’s eyes opened.

'I love you, too.' Lizzy jumped back a bit with surprise, and lightly smacked his arm as soon as she had recovered.

'Jesus, what are you, Sleeping Beauty? You scared me! I thought you were asleep.'

'I was. But the kiss of a beautiful princess woke me from my slumber,' he replied dramatically.

Lizzy rolled her eyes. 'If she had only known what her actions would have led to,' she joked.

William rolled over and pinned her to the bed, his face millimetres away from hers. 'Did you say that you love me?' he asked quite seriously. Lizzy nodded. 'Say it again.'

'I love you.'

'Say, "I love you, William."'

'I love you, William.'

'Say, "I love you, William, you big, strong, sexy man of mine. Hurry up and make sweet love to me right now with that huge…"'

'Don’t push it,' Lizzy interrupted sarcastically. Smiling, William kissed her and reached for the nightstand to get a condom.

'Hell, you don’t even need to say that last part; I’ll do it anyway.'

'That’s very kind of you. What were you saying about something huge?' Prepared now, William slid between her legs and entered her. 'Oh yes, _that_ ,' she moaned.

'Say it again, Lizzy,' he panted, thrusting into her again and again.

'Yes, William, it’s huge.' He stopped moving and narrowed his eyes at her. 'Oh. The other thing. I love you, William.' Satisfied, he resumed his motion and quickly brought her to her peak.

'You don’t know what it means to me to hear you say it,' he whispered to her later.

'You don’t know how scary it was to say it,' she confessed.

He pulled her face toward him and looked in her eyes. 'I _do_ know. That’s why it means so much.' The image of the ruby ring flashed through his mind, but he pushed it away. It was still too soon, too tenuous. When it became second nature to her, that was when the time would finally be right.

**********

The first snowfall came a few days later. William was introduced to it rather rudely; Lizzy thought it would be amusing to awaken him by sticking a snowball, made from the freshly fallen powder on her fire escape, down the back of his shorts while he slept on his stomach. To her glee, he jumped out of bed with a high-pitched squeal and ripped off the offending underwear.

'What the hell?' he yelled when he realised that Lizzy was doubled over with laughter on the floor by the bed.

'It snowed last night,' she gasped between frantic giggles. William crossed his arms and tried to look stern with as much dignity as he could muster bearing in mind he was naked and still shivering. This spectacle only made her laugh harder. He considered his options and decided that revenge was in order, so he calmly sauntered over to the window and scooped up a handful of snow. Lizzy looked up to protest just in time to get a snowball in the face. 'You bastard!' she cried laughingly and rose to attack him. He dodged her, thrust another snowball down the back of her nightgown, and pressed against her to hold it there, ignoring her shriek in favour of watching her nipples harden in response to the cold.

'Shh, the neighbours will think I’m beating you up here,' he laughed.

'I’m going to beat you if you don’t let me go!' she cried with equal humour.

'You have to catch me first!' he challenged, and ran for the kitchen with Lizzy close behind. He made it to the refrigerator before the front door of the apartment opened and in burst a middle-aged lady in hair curlers and a house dress. The woman screamed and clutched the rolling pin in her hand dramatically.

'Who are you?' she yelped, shaking the pin at William threateningly. 'Have you done Miss Bennet some violent outrage?' Remembering his nudity, William modestly covered himself with the nearest thing at hand, a baking sheet.

'Mrs. Jennings!' Lizzy exclaimed in surprise. 'What are you doing here?'

'Miss Bennet! Should I call the police? Has this man hurt you?' Lizzy looked in the direction of Mrs. Jennings’ rolling pin and saw William standing there trying to look innocent.

'William? Of course not! He’s my guest,' she said circumspectly. Mrs. Jennings snorted, clearly giving her opinion of having naked male guests running around one’s kitchen at this hour of the morning.

'I heard screaming and running, so I assumed you were in peril,' she sniffed dramatically. 'Clearly I misunderstood your… _situation_. If you are going to do such _things_ , kindly try not to wake the entire building!'

'Now see here, madam,' William began, but was cut short by Lizzy.

'I’m sorry ma’am, but I saw a rat and William was trying to catch it.'

'A rat?!' Mrs. Jennings repeated, scandalised. 'In _my_ building? Miss Bennet, you must be joking!'

Lizzy nodded solemnly. 'I’m sure it’s no fault of yours, Mrs. Jennings. But it snowed last night, so it probably found some way to get into the warm. Maybe you should have an exterminator look at it.'

'Well, maybe I’ll just do that. I apologise for disturbing you folks. Miss Bennet, sir,' she excused herself with a nod, mumbling about rats.

'You little charmer,' William laughed when the super was gone. 'How did you do that?'

'I’m used to dealing with her,' Lizzy shrugged. 'Now come here so I can deal with you properly.'

**********

It had been a month or so since William had last been to the Kitty Kat in the audience, so he was surprised when he returned in mid-December and had to fight his way to the front table that had been reserved for him. It was one of Lizzy’s performance nights, and it was clear by the roar of the crowd when she took the stage that she was the reason they were there. Jealousy and pride vied for prominence in his mind, with pride finally winning when she came down from the stage and sat on his lap during 'Rolls Royce Papa'; it probably didn’t hurt that Lizzy let him mark his territory by planting a big kiss on his mouth at the end of the song. When the club closed, William waited for Lizzy outside while Caterino Delborgo held a quick meeting with the staff.

'Everyone, attention please!' Caterino called out from the stage. 'I have announcements. On Christmas, everybody has the day off!' A cheer erupted from the staff of the Kitty Kat. 'But day after Christmas, everybody comes to work for the first annual big holiday show!' A surprised murmur ran through the crowd as they wondered what Caterino was up to now. 'Yesterday I had a beautiful idea. Day after Christmas, everybody is sick of the family and the dinners and the everything. So they come here to have fun at the holiday show!' Lizzy was to be the main attraction, finishing out the night with a rousing set of her most popular numbers. She excitedly told William when she met him outside.

'Caterino really thinks I’m something!' she said breathlessly as they climbed the stairs. 'He said that I’m the biggest money-maker he’s got, so he’s going to really jazz me up. He’s giving me the whole band for backup, and a new dress covered in mirrored sequins so that I’ll sparkle when I dance around, and he’s looking to get me…'

William stopped her mouth with a kiss. 'You’re such a doll when you get excited and start babbling,' he teased upon releasing her. 'But you need to talk slower if you want me to understand a thing that you’re saying.'

Lizzy blushed and smiled girlishly. 'Sorry, daddy. To make a long story short, I’m the star of the show, and I could get a really big tip out of this. It may not be till after Christmas, but I’d like to get you a present.' Her already pink cheeks grew more crimson. 'What would you like?'

William smiled and kissed her nose tenderly. 'You don’t need to get me anything, sheba. Save your money and buy something pretty for yourself.'

Lizzy frowned. 'I _want_ to get you something,' she snapped. 'I can afford it.'

'I know,' William replied unconvincingly. 'I just don’t want you to spend your pay on me. I don’t need anything.'

Lizzy broke away from him and crossed her arms defiantly. 'I’m going to buy you something, and that is that. Don’t even try to argue with me.'

William laughed and hugged her. 'All right, all right. I know better than to go against you, you little bearcat.'

Lizzy smiled triumphantly and returned his embrace. 'Good boy. Now what would you like?'

'Hmm,' William pondered, taking the opportunity to lift up her dress and grope her bottom. 'I’d like you as my love slave,' he growled. 'Rick has this picture of a girl in a sexy little number that would look really tasty on you.'

'And why were _you_ looking at Rick’s dirty pictures? Don’t I satisfy you?' She pouted and began fiddling with the button of his trousers.

'Oh, you satisfy me,' he leered. 'In fact, you can _satisfy_ me right now if you want.'

Lizzy opened up the trousers and snaked her hand inside, eliciting a moan. 'You still didn’t say why you were looking at dirty pictures,' she insisted, teasing him with her fingertips.

'It was a long time ago,' he panted. 'Before we got together. A fella needs to get by with something when he’s lusting after a girl he can’t have.'

She took a firmer grip. 'Who were you lusting after?'

'You of course! Every time I went to see you, I thought I was going to explode. So, I stole, er, borrowed a couple of pictures from Rick… the ones of girls with short dark hair,' he confessed.

Lizzy grinned wickedly and pulled his trousers and shorts down to his ankles. 'And what did you do with them, William?' she asked impishly, perfectly aware of what he used them for.

'Lizzy,' he whined, 'this is embarrassing. Don’t make me tell you what I was forced to do before I had you.' Lizzy raised an eyebrow and dropped to her knees. Her tongue flicked at his tip, sending a shudder through his body.

'Did you pleasure yourself?' she asked huskily, her tongue again darting out to taste him. 'Did you imagine that your hand was my hand… or my mouth… or perhaps something else?' Before he could reply, she took him entirely into her mouth, reducing him to whimpers and moans.

'Oh God, Lizzy!' he cried, quickly climaxing with her expert ministrations. 'I don’t know what would have happened to me if I hadn’t been able to have you.'

Lizzy stood and began walking towards the bedroom. 'I expect you’d have a very strong right arm,' she tossed back naughtily.

William blushed and picked up his pants to run after her. 'I always alternated hands,' he grumbled before tackling her onto the bed and punishing her impertinence the best way he knew how.


	6. Chapter 6

William felt miserable not being with Lizzy on Christmas, but it was some comfort to know that she would not be alone for the holiday; the emcee, who lived in her building, and two of the girls from the club were having Christmas dinner with her, while he spent the evening with his parents and the Fitzwilliams. At least Rick would be there to keep the night from being a total bore.

William passed through the wrought iron gates of the Darcy mansion and up the circular driveway to where the driver stood waiting to take his keys. At the door he was immediately attacked by his mother and aunt, armed with kisses, cheek-pinching fingers, and pats on the bottom. Much to his embarrassment, Rick thought it would be amusing to greet him the same way. After paying his respects to his father and uncle, William finally managed to get away with Rick for a few minutes and a Scotch before dinner.

'So where’s Lizzy?' Rick asked teasingly. 'Didn’t Auntie and Uncle invite her?'

'Shut up, Rick. You know they don’t know about her.'

'You know, if I had a nickel for every time you said ‘Shut up, Rick’…'

'I want them to meet her,' William interrupted.

'I’m sorry, I must be hearing things. I thought you just said that you wanted your parents to meet Lizzy.'

'I did say that. They’ll need to meet her sooner or later.'

'Why?' Rick asked incredulously. 'I never introduce my parents to any of my girlfriends.'

'But you also haven’t bought any of them an engagement ring,' William explained, pulling a small box out of his pocket. 'I want to ask Lizzy to marry me.'

Rick spit out the Scotch he had just sipped, narrowly missing William’s jacket. 'Willy, did you just say that you intend to _marry_ Lizzy? As in Lizzy the jazz singer in a speakeasy run by a gangster? Call me crazy, but somehow I don’t see her as the kind of girl your mother would sit down with at tea to discuss wedding arrangements.'

'Dammit Rick, I have told you before not to speak ill of Lizzy!'

'What have I said that isn’t true? She _is_ a jazz singer in a speakeasy run by a gangster! I think she’s a great gal, but she doesn’t fit in here and you know it.'

'She could do it. Once they meet her, I’m sure my parents will love her. She’s the sweetest girl in the world; how could they not?'

Rick snorted. 'You assume they will even make the effort to get to know her. As soon as they know who she is, they won’t give her the time of day.'

'Their loss,' William said firmly. 'If Lizzy will have me, I’m going to marry her, and I don’t care what my father has to say about it.'

Rick shook his head and drained his Scotch. 'It’s your funeral, Cuz.' William took a last thoughtful sip of his drink before the two of them re-joined the families for dinner.

**********

The following night was far more enjoyable; Caterino’s holiday show was a huge success, owing largely to Lizzy’s popularity and the copious amount of Champagne that Caterino had stockpiled throughout the last few months. As expected, Lizzy received a large bonus on her way out the door with William. Rather than going back to her place, William drove them to the penthouse, where he had a surprise waiting.

'Oh!' Lizzy exclaimed when she walked into the winter wonderland he had created. The whole apartment was decorated with holly, crystals shaped like snowflakes, and a liberal smattering of mistletoe. William kissed her as she walked in, having strategically placed a bit of it over the door. 'Daddy, this is lovely! Is this for me?' she asked shyly.

He nodded. 'I wanted our first Christmas together to be special. Can I offer you a glass of Champagne?' He popped the cork and poured them two coupes of Möet et Chandon. 'To our first of many Christmases together.' Lizzy smiled despite her continuing misgivings; it was nice to think of their relationship as permanent, even though she knew that sooner or later it would come to an end. For now, she pushed all those thoughts aside and toasted to their happiness. 'I love you,' he said, kissing her nose.

'I love you too,' she responded with a kiss of her own. 'I’d love you even more if you have some food for me.' William laughed and led her to the dining room, where the cook had prepared a full Christmas dinner miniaturised for two people. Lizzy feasted energetically, her spirited act having left her extremely hungry. When she couldn’t stuff one more bite of plum pudding into her mouth, William took her by the hand and led her to the fire, where they cuddled together in a warm blanket and exchanged gifts.

' _Elmer Gantry_?' Lizzy gaped when the book was revealed. 'William!'

'You seemed to enjoy subversive literature, so I thought I would help contribute to your ruin,' he teased.

'Well good,' she replied laughingly, handing him a small package, 'because I’m contributing to your filthy habits too.'

William looked at her sideways and shook the package suspiciously. 'This isn’t dirty pictures of girls with short, dark hair is it?'

'William!' Lizzy scolded. 'Not _that_ filthy habit.' He finally opened the gift to find a silver cigarette case, engraved with the message _To my dearest Daddy, with love from his Sheba._ William couldn’t speak for a full ten minutes… mainly because he was busy thanking Lizzy with a bit of heavy petting.

He managed to stop before getting her naked (an amazing feat unto itself) and settled himself back down for more champagne and the beginning of the conversation he had been dreading.

'Darling,' he began tentatively, 'I was thinking… perhaps it’s time that you met the rest of my family.'

Lizzy looked up at him in surprise. 'Your family?'

'Yes. You know, parents, aunts, uncles, and all that.' Lizzy had no idea how to respond. She had never expected to meet his parents, convinced as she was that their affair was transitory.

'I… I don’t really know what to say William. If you want me to meet them…'

'You’d rather not?'

'It’s not that. I just… I don’t think they would really approve of me. Of us.'

William stroked her cheek in reassurance. 'They won’t have a choice,' he said simply. 'I plan to keep you around, and if they don’t like it, too bad.'

'I love you, daddy. But maybe it would be best to give them some warning before I meet them. You know, tell them you’ve been going out with someone, tell them a little about me. Then it won’t be a total shock when they see you with a whore.'

'Lizzy!' William yelled sharply. 'You are not a whore! How can you say that?'

'They’ll think I am. I work in a goddamn bootleg club William! I’m a sleazy jazz singer who has been fucking their son for a few months.'

William grabbed her shoulders and shook her. 'For God’s sake Lizzy, stop it! That is _not_ what you are! You are the woman I love, and I will not stand for anyone saying such things about you, not even you.'

'But William…'

'Elizabeth Fucking Bennet, you will not say another word of the sort!'

'Mabel,' she corrected.

'What?' he snapped.

'Mabel. My middle name is Mabel, not Fucking.'

William shook his head and burst out laughing despite himself. 'Sweetheart, you really have a way of resolving an argument.'

Lizzy stepped closer and ran her fingertips seductively up and down the front of his shirt. 'I know an even better way,' she purred. 'Why don’t we go to bed?'

'All right; but this conversation isn’t finished.'

Lizzy put a finger to his lips. 'Yes, it is. Just promise me that you’ll tell them about me first and explain who I am before I meet them. I don’t want to give your father a heart attack.'

'I promise.' They sealed the agreement with a kiss before retiring to the bedroom.

The next morning was a lazy one, the couple only waking up after 11 o’clock but not bothering to get out of bed. They lay cosily spooning together under the silk sheet, William’s hand fondling her breast as he whispered naughty things in her ear to make her giggle. So wrapped up were they in each other that they didn’t realise someone had entered the apartment until Rick burst into the bedroom without so much as a knock.

'Jesus Christ,' he grunted upon seeing their position. 'I knew it.' Lizzy quickly pulled the sheet up to cover herself while William sat up with fury.

'What the hell do you think you’re doing barging in here like this?' he yelled, sheltering Lizzy from Rick’s view.

'I’m saving your goddamn ass, you idiot!' Rick yelled back. 'And risking my own in the process. You’re already half an hour late to the luncheon, and your father was threatening to come over here and drag you to the house. So I suggest you make yourself presentable and make up a good story for why you’re late.'

William buried his head in his hands and groaned. 'Shit. I’d forgotten about the damn luncheon.' The annual family Christmas gathering was a tradition, and one could not expect to miss it without having a very good excuse.

'So I see,' Rick chided with amusement. 'Nice to see you again Lizzy. We really should stop meeting like this.'

Lizzy blushed with embarrassment. 'Shut up, Rick. Get out of here so I can get dressed.'

He snapped his fingers with mock disappointment. 'Damn! I keep hoping…' he winked. 'All right. I should probably go before I get caught here. Hurry, and remember, a good story.' With William still glaring at him, Rick shut the door behind him and made his escape.

'I’m so sorry sheba,' he sighed, kissing her hand in apology. 'I can’t believe I forgot. All the Darcys and Fitzwilliams come together after Christmas and stay in the city for New Year. My parents will kill me if I’m not there. We need to go.'

'It’s fine daddy,' she assured him. ' I should get back anyway.'

William looked shyly into her eyes, the first time she could remember him looking at her in such a way. 'Lizzy… I know you want me to talk to them first but… well, I could tell them that you’re my girlfriend when we get there and that I wanted you to meet everyone. Would you consider coming with me?'

Lizzy was half-tempted to go along and get it over with, but there was a major obstacle. 'I can’t. The only dress I have with me is my performance dress from last night. I can’t show up in that if I want to make a good impression.'

William shook his head, disappointed. 'No, I suppose not. Another time then,' he smiled. She squeezed his hand and rose to dress, suggesting he do the same. Forgetting Rick’s warning about his father coming to fetch him, William took his time getting dressed, more intent on watching Lizzy brush her hair than anything else. They had only just started kissing goodbye in his living room when a loud knock at the front door interrupted them. Rick’s alert suddenly rushed back to his mind and he began cursing.

'Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck!' he muttered, trying to figure out how to get Lizzy out and explain his lateness, but it was too late. The maid had let old Mr. Darcy in, and his voice could be heard booming down the hallway.

'Where is that boy? Fitzwilliam Algernon Darcy! How dare you disrespect your mother by not showing your face at such an important event?' He stopped short when he reached the living room and saw his son with his arm around a woman’s shoulders… a very immodestly dressed woman at that. 'What’s all this then?' he asked suspiciously.

William stood tall and defiant. 'Father, this is Elizabeth Bennet. Elizabeth, my father James Darcy.' She extended her hand, which James took and kissed with more ceremony than pleasure.

'That is a very, er, _modern_ dress you have there, Miss Bennet,' he said distastefully. 'How do you know my son?'

'Lizzy is my girlfriend,' William answered for her. 'We’ve been seeing each other for some time.'

'Indeed? And what does _Lizzy_ do for a living… besides be your girlfriend?' James asked contemptuously. Lizzy’s eyes widened at his implication, but she stayed quiet when William put a comforting hand on her arm.

'She is a very talented singer. My own little songbird,' he said affectionately, turning to flash her a smile. His father’s eyes narrowed, putting together the combination of Lizzy’s dress and occupation to draw some conclusions that were not terribly far from the truth.

'And where does she sing?' he asked with false innocence.

'You won’t have heard of it,' William blocked him. 'It’s for a younger crowd.'

James snorted, finally giving up all semblance of civility. 'If by ‘younger’ you mean the drinking, gambling, whoring crowd, then no, I won’t have heard of it.' Lizzy’s face was purple with humiliation, while William’s was purple with rage. His fists were clenched tightly, prepared to slug his father if necessary.

'How dare you! You will not talk about my woman so disrespectfully. Get out.' His voice was steely, but James was not about to back down.

'Let me see if I understand this, William. You’re shacking up with some floozy jazz singer from a speakeasy, shunning your family and kicking your father out of your house?'

William stepped closer and looked his father dead in the eye. 'You seem to have a firm grasp on the situation, Father. Now get out.'

James turned his attention to Lizzy. 'Who do you think you are?' he spat vehemently. 'Why are you trying to ruin my son? Find a sugar daddy elsewhere you little tramp, because I will not stand for this!' Lizzy’s jaw dropped and angry tears flooded her eyes. William could no longer control himself, and his fist flew out and hit James square in the kisser. The older man tumbled to the ground but quickly picked himself up and grabbed his son by the collar.

'Decide now. Your smart little…' he searched for the vulgar term, ' _quiff_ , or your family. Choose her and I warn you, boy, you are cut off.'

William’s rage was at its peak with this insult, but he spoke with a voice like ice. 'I told you to get out.' The choice was made. Lizzy stared on in horror as the two men stared each other down for several more tense moments.

James Darcy finally accepted defeat. 'You’re dead to me,' he spat, and turned his back on his son.

As soon as James was gone, William threw himself down on the couch and breathed deeply to regain his calm. He drew Lizzy to him and buried his face in her hair, her scent helping him find his centre again.

'I am so sorry Lizzy,' he sighed. 'I can’t believe he did that to you. I promise I won’t let him bother you again.'

Lizzy extricated herself from his arms and walked a few feet away, crossing her arms in front of her chest to put added distance between them. 'You’ll regret it William,' she said warily. 'You’ll regret fighting with your family, and you’ll hate me for it… I can’t bear that, Daddy. I’d rather leave you now while we’re still happy; I want all my memories of you to be happy.' She turned her back on him, not wanting to sway him in the wrong direction by letting him see her heartbroken face.

William had other ideas. He grabbed her arms and turned her around violently. 'Don’t say that! Don’t you ever say that! I could never regret you, and I will _not_ let you leave me. You’re everything to me… don’t you know that?'

'You say that now, but I can’t replace your family. I know how it feels to be cut off, William! You have no idea what it’s like to be alone that way. I won’t let you do that to yourself.'

'But I won’t be alone. I’ll have you, and that’s all I need!' he protested.

'You’ll tire of me soon enough,' Lizzy retorted with the bitter voice of past disappointment. 'And then you’ll resent me for having divided you and your family. I couldn’t stand to see that look on your face, William… you look at me with love now, and that’s the look I want to remember always.' No longer able to hold in her emotions, Lizzy burst into tears and ran to the bedroom.

William stood alone for a few seconds, stunned and hurt by her lack of faith. He couldn’t completely blame her; her past experience couldn’t have left her with much optimism, and though he had spoken of his love for her, he had mainly shown it by spending almost every moment of their time together in bed. It would be easy to assume that his primary interest in her was carnal, and she probably did. He shook his head and made his way to the bedroom.

'Lizzy,' he whispered, lightly caressing her shaking form, 'my love, you have no idea, do you? You think I’m a rich boy having a bit of fun. Don’t you?' She stayed silent, refusing to meet his eye. 'I can’t blame you for thinking that. It seems all I ever do when we’re together is try to get between your legs.'

'No!' she protested, sitting up to face him with a tear-streaked face. 'There’s more to our relationship than that. I know you aren’t just using me for sex.'

'But you still don’t think I’m serious about you.' This she could not deny.

'How can you be? You’ve always known that your family would never accept me, and I know that too. I’ve never expected it to last… I’m surprised we’ve lasted this long, in fact.' She smiled ruefully. 'But all good things must come to an end.'

'It doesn’t have to end!' he objected.

Lizzy laid a hand on his arm. 'I can’t be your mistress, daddy. I won’t share you with whatever proper debutante you decide to marry and make nice blue-blooded babies with. Just let me go while I’m still able.'

William ran his fingers roughly through his curls with frustration. 'Woman, will you pay attention for just one minute? I LOVE YOU. Only you. I don’t want another woman in my life, ever. I want to marry _you_ , and make babies with _you_. Can I be any clearer? Marry me, Lizzy. I’m begging you, marry me.'

Lizzy’s eyes widened with shock. Slowly, she shook her head. 'No.'

'What?' he cried in disbelief.

'No. I’ve already ruined my life; I won’t let you ruin yours.'

'You’ll ruin it if you leave me! Do you really think I care about the country clubs and the money and the society pages? I don’t! I would give it all up in a second if that was what it took to be with you.'

'How can you say that? You have no idea what it’s like to give up everything!' she yelled back. 'You don’t know what it’s like to wonder if your pay will be enough for rent and food. _I’m_ begging _you_ William… please trust me when I say I know what I’m talking about.'

'I know you do. You’ve survived this long completely on your own. It couldn’t possibly be any harder if we were together. This apartment and the car are completely mine; I can sell them, and that would give us plenty of money until I found another job. Obviously, I will lose my place in the family business now,' he joked dryly.

'But you love that car!' Lizzy cried.

'I do. But I love you much more.'

Lizzy looked down, her fingers toying with the patterns on the quilt. 'It just can’t work… it doesn’t happen that way,' she murmured, more to herself than to him.

He pulled her chin up to look at him. 'Six months ago I couldn’t even walk out of the Kitty Kat Lounge when you started singing. How could I walk out now that I know you, and have loved you?' William went to his bureau and pulled out the small gun that Rick had given him. Lizzy froze for a moment, bad memories springing up, but William meant her no harm. Instead, he placed the gun in her hand and aimed at his chest. 'I can’t live without you Lizzy. If you want to leave me, at least have the kindness to kill me quickly.'

Lizzy threw the gun aside with disgust. 'Damn you, William, cut the dramatics. I know you don’t keep bullets.' William grinned sheepishly. 'I’m sorry daddy, I’m not trying to be difficult. I just can’t believe that you’d give all this up for _me_. You’re still sore at your father; you’re not thinking rationally. You need more time to think about it.'

William shook his head. 'I _have_ been thinking about it… since the first night at your apartment. The longer it went on, the more I thought, and then the more I did. I have potential buyers for the penthouse and car, just waiting for my final word, and I’ve saved all my pay for the last three months. All that would be enough for us to live on for at least three years in your apartment, and of course you’ll be singing, and I’ll get another job.'

'You really have thought about this, haven’t you?' she asked, awed. 'I had no idea you…'

'Loved you so much?' he finished for her. She nodded calmly, giving herself time to take it all in. When she met William’s eyes again, he saw a change in her, like the last barrier of a fortress coming down. In that moment he knew that, despite all her words of love, she had never given herself to him completely; she had preserved a tiny bit of herself for her own protection, and only now did she realise that she was safe with him. In that moment he knew that he could never let her regret having let him in. He reached out his hand, and Lizzy fell into his arms weeping.

'I want to be with you, William,' she sobbed, 'I couldn’t believe it was possible. Tell me you still want to marry me.' He smiled and pulled a box out of his pocket, having discreetly removed it from the bureau along with the pistol.

'I much prefer it to being shot in the chest at least,' he teased, placing the ruby ring on her finger. 'I know diamonds are the fashion, but I couldn’t think of you in anything but red.'


	7. Chapter 7

The following day, William was alone in his study, preparing to meet with his attorneys to settle his financial affairs, when he received a visitor. He walked into the sitting area prepared to be cold, thinking his father had come to try again. Instead, his mother walked into the room behind the maid.

'Mother!' he said with mild surprise. His cold façade warmed slightly into a wary smile. 'To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?'

Anne Darcy greeted her son by kissing one cheek and patting the other with her hand. 'Your father told me about your, eh, talk yesterday,' she began tentatively. 'I’m sorry sweet-ums, I know he lost his head.'

William stiffened. 'Are you here to apologise for him?'

Anne changed the subject. 'Richard said she’s a very sweet girl,' she offered.

'Rick talked to you about her?' he asked. This was interesting; he didn’t think Rick would risk his already tenuous position in the family’s regard to defend Lizzy. William had never loved his cousin more.

'Yes. He admitted to me that he’s known her all the time, and that she’s good for you.' William smiled. 'I’m sure she’s lovely, dear. And I’m sure you like her very much.'

'I love her, Mother. I love her more than life itself,' he replied feelingly. 'If Father can’t accept her, then I won’t speak to him again, or to anyone else who disrespects her.'

'William,' she said gently, 'are you sure you know what you’re doing? We’re your family… you’ve only known Libby a few months.'

'Lizzy,' he corrected, 'and she’s shown me more love in those few months than my entire family has in my life.'

Anne drew back as if stung. 'I see.' She paused to think of the best way to phrase her next question. 'Sweet-ums, did you get her in trouble? Is that why you’re standing by her? Because you know those things can be remedied. We could easily support her and the child to move elsewhere and leave you be, or… there are _other_ things… I’m sure we could find a very discreet doctor who…'

William cut her off with a roar of rage. 'Stop it. Stop right now. I don’t want to hear another word from you. You have insulted me and Lizzy by every possible method. How dare you think I would leave her if she were having my child! Which, by the way, she is _not_. Go, this instant, and never come here again.'

Anne reached out and took his hand. 'Sweet pea, calm down. I didn’t mean to upset you. I just… I just don’t understand how you can love another woman more than your own mother.' She reached into her handbag for a handkerchief, her pain and tears genuine. William began to soften towards her, but with her next statement, Anne Darcy went too far. 'Especially a woman like her… William you know we can never be seen in society with her. If you do stay with her, she’ll have to stay hidden away, particularly when you get married to a proper girl.'

William closed his eyes; she didn’t get it. She would never get it. Rather than explode as he had been doing, however, William stopped to think about his alternatives. Obviously leaving Lizzy was not an option, especially after the ordeal it had been to convince her to stay. He cared nothing for his social standing anymore, but his family would not be able to stand losing their respectability and accepting Lizzy as his wife was an impossibility for a family with those ambitions. Much as he hated them right now, they were still his parents, and though he was more than happy to carry his social taint, they were unwilling to share it.

'I will happily be disowned to spare you from the disgrace, Mother, but I will never leave Elizabeth’s side.'

Anne shook her head. 'I’ll come back in a few days, when you’ve had time to cool your head and think about this. I know you’ll make the right decision in the end.'

William grabbed her hand before she could walk away. 'Mother, my decision is made. Don’t bother to come here if your intention is to dissuade me from marrying Lizzy.'

'Marry?' she repeated with narrowed eyes. 'William, that is absurd. You cannot marry her. I forbid it!'

'Forbid it? I’m not a little boy you can order around anymore! I _am_ going to marry Lizzy.'

'Well!' Anne huffed. 'I never expected such insolence from you, William. I see that you no longer respect your family’s good name and credibility and are determined to ruin yourself.' Her voice softened a bit to say, 'I can’t stop your father from disowning you, sweet-ums. Please think about what you are doing. You have a good name, a good fortune, your pick of the society girls… is it worth throwing away for some chorus girl?'

William turned around and walked back to his study. 'Goodbye, Mother. You can see yourself out, I’m sure.' Closing the door behind him, he made sure he heard the front door open and shut before collapsing to the floor and weeping tears of rage. He had hoped for better from his mother, but it was clear that she cared more for her family’s social standing than for her family themselves. It infuriated him that they could judge Lizzy as worthless without even knowing her; without seeing her warmth, kindness, and vivacity. The more he thought about it, the more he hated the environment that created such people, and was ashamed to admit that at one time he would have made the same judgment… _had_ in fact made the same judgment on the girls who worked at the club, before he became a regular.

Before meeting her, he would have made the same judgment of Lizzy herself.

Lizzy. He had to see her. Leaving a hasty note of apology with the maid for his attorneys, he hopped into the Phantom and sped off to her place. Since it was her night to sing, she wouldn’t be cleaning today, so he was reasonably sure he’d find her at home. She was, but not alone. He let himself in to find her talking with a man at her kitchen table.

Jealousy sprang up quickly, but he contained it when he recognised the wavy, slicked hair as that of the emcee of the Kitty Kat. William knew little about him except that he lived in Lizzy’s building, which would partially explain his presence. Convinced by their interaction that everything was on the up and up, William walked into the room.

Lizzy was surprised but smiled and stood to greet him. 'William! What are you doing here? I thought you had business to do today.'

William replied with a long, deep kiss. 'Mmm hmm! I can see why you’re so obsessed with him now, lovey. If I had a man kissing me like that, I’d stay in bed all the time too!' came the emcee’s voice from the table.

Lizzy giggled at both the statement and William’s crimson face and confused look. 'Charlie, behave! William, this is Charlie, the emcee at the Kitty Kat. Charlie, this is William.'

Charlie stuck out a delicately manicured hand, which William warily shook. 'Don’t worry, I don’t bite,' Charlie said provocatively, in a tone that made William doubt the truthfulness of that statement. 'Unless you want me to.' Charlie made a little growling noise in his throat and kissed William’s hand before releasing it.

'Dammit Charlie, I told you to behave!' Lizzy interjected laughingly. 'William is used to refined, upright society, not some cheap Ethel trying to get in his trousers. Besides, he’s mine and I’m not sharing.'

Charlie waved away her objections. 'Don’t fret lovey; tall, dark, handsome, and rich really isn’t my type.' Lizzy snorted with disbelief. 'Oh fine, it’s everybody’s type; but I won’t cut in. It’s obvious that he takes his coffee female.' Charlie winked and rose to leave, kissing Lizzy on both cheeks. 'I’ll go back upstairs. I’m sure you two want to have sex. See you tonight Lizzy!'

'That’s right, scram, you little bitch!' Lizzy cried out after him teasingly. 'Find your own man!' Charlie blew another kiss from the door and was gone. William stood stock still, completely at a loss over this exchange. 'Don’t let it bother you darling; Charlie is really a sweet fella, and good friend.'

'He’s a… he’s… _temperamental_?' William squeaked, using the most discreet word he could think of.

'Of course. You didn’t know that?'

'Hell, I barely even knew his name, much less who he beds.'

'Well, he won’t be bedding you, so don’t worry about it. Speaking of bedding, you wanna?' she asked with a suggestive eyebrow waggle.

William smiled and put his arms around her waist. 'Of course I do. That isn’t why I came though. I just had a big fight with my mother.'

'Oh daddy, I’m sorry! Was it bad?'

He nodded sadly. 'Very bad. I don’t expect I’ll be seeing my parents again.'

Lizzy hugged him tightly. 'I’m sure they’d be happy to see you if I was out of the picture,' she whispered bitterly.

'Certainly. But clearly that is not an option.' Lizzy let out the apprehensive breath she didn’t even realise she had been holding. 'We should get married soon,' William continued, changing the subject. 'I came here before seeing my attorneys, but I’m sure that my finances can be settled by the end of the week. I could probably get a time with the Justice of the Peace the week after that. Unless you’d rather marry in a church.'

'I don’t think any church would take me,' Lizzy joked. 'I’d prefer something simple anyway. I don’t even have a dress.'

'I’ll buy you a dress, my love. Every bride deserves to be pampered on her wedding day. Why don’t I give you some money and you can shop while I talk to my attorneys?' He pulled out his money clip and casually handed her a few very large bills. 'Don’t get to used to it; once I’m disowned and fired, I won’t have this sort of money to throw around,' he teased.

Lizzy pushed the cash-filled hand back. 'Then I shouldn’t spend this should I? Disowned wretches need to eat, after all.'

He shook his head and tucked the money into her cleavage. 'I planned for this. My bride will marry me in a real wedding dress and that is that.'

Lizzy smiled and put the cash in her pocket. 'All right, but only because it will make _you_ happy.'

'Very happy. Now what were you saying earlier about bedding?'

When William returned to the penthouse a couple of hours later, Misters Wentworth and Wentworth, attorneys at law, were still waiting for him. Their presence and expressions told William that they had cleared their schedule to spend the day dealing with his business, and, most likely, trying to talk him out of it.

'Gentlemen! I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. Can I offer you a drink?' William said nonchalantly as he poured himself a perfectly legal ginger ale. The Wentworths shook their heads in unison and cut to the chase.

'William, your message seemed to imply that you wish to liquefy all your assets, pay off an apartment in a disreputable part of town, and get married as soon as possible. What the hell is going on?' Wentworth the elder asked.

'That is correct Fred. I want to sell the penthouse and the Phantom, sell any long-term investments on the stock market, and cash in on any other investments with the exception of bonds that have not yet matured, but with an order to cash them as soon as they do mature. The apartment is where I will be living with my future wife, whom I will be marrying as soon as the finances are arranged and a date can be set with the Justice of the Peace.'

'Are you in some sort of trouble, William?' Wentworth the younger asked.

'No trouble Jack. I’ve simply chosen to marry a woman of whom my family disapproves, and they have informed me that I am to be disowned. Therefore, I will need everything that is mine to be made into ready cash in order to support us until I find other employment.'

'William, this is absurd!' Fred Wentworth exclaimed. 'As your attorney and your friend, I must advise against such rash action! You cannot be thinking clearly, man. Giving everything up for a woman?'

'Thank you for your opinion, Fred. Now please, draw up the papers for the sale of the penthouse and the Phantom to these two people,' William replied coolly, handing Wentworth the buyers’ information. 'Also please update my will to leave all my assets to Elizabeth Mabel Bennet and any children that may be produced by the union. The apartment is where we will be living; I can take care of that with the super myself, but I will be sure to give you a receipt to put in my records. How long do you think this will take?'

The attorneys stared at him blankly. 'I suppose by Friday,' Fred responded at last. 'But are you truly sure? The stock market is doing so well right now, and your other investments are very strong as well.'

'Just do it Fred. Now if you gentlemen will excuse me, I have plans this evening.' William shook both their hands and walked out, leaving the attorneys with no choice but to follow his bizarre orders.

**********

The wedding was set with the Justice of the Peace for the sixth of January. The new year was rung in quietly in William’s penthouse with a bottle of Champagne and the boxes containing all the items William was keeping from his former life. Most of the furniture was staying in the apartment, and all but what they were still using was covered in sheets for the time being. That night they made love for the last time in the master suite; the next morning they left the penthouse for good.

After fully moving into Lizzy’s apartment (including the only bit of penthouse furniture that William had insisted on keeping- the feather bed), William went to the office to clean out his desk while she went out for a second round of wedding dress shopping with Charlie.

'Willy! What are you doing?' Rick said with a clap on his cousin’s back. 'I thought I was the only one ordered to come in today.' William turned from the bare table with the box of his belongings under his arm.

'I wasn’t exactly ordered to be here, Rick. I came to clean out my desk.'

'What? What happened?'

'Well, you know my parents found out about Lizzy, I’m no longer speaking to them, and I lost my job. Well, more precisely I quit. By the way, would you be a witness for our wedding on Friday?'

' _What_?! William, slow down and start over from after the point where they found out. I know your father met the wrong side of your fist, but I don't know of anything else since I put in a good word for you with Aunt Anne.' William sighed and told Rick the whole story, surprised that he hadn’t already heard it all. Perhaps his father was trying to contain the scandal as much as he could. He wrapped up his tale by announcing his impending marriage.

'Lizzy and I would be honoured if you’d be a witness for us,' he concluded and looked expectantly at Rick.

'Gee… well, sure William, I’d love to. I’m sorry all this happened this way, though.'

'Me too. Thanks, Rick.'

**********

'Oh my God! This is perfect!' Lizzy cried, pulling the old-fashioned [wedding](https://imgur.com/pRuUW18) [dress](https://imgur.com/FQHMISC) from the rack. The style was pre-Great War, and the rich ivory tone had a much warmer feel than the pure white gowns they had looked at thus far.

When they had started their search, Lizzy and Charlie had gone to the traditional bridal shops in town. Nothing seemed quite right, though, and they decided to look in the second-hand shops. They finally struck gold at the third such place; a well-to-do widow had recently died, and most of her possessions had been left at this shop. A few minor alterations were needed, but the dress was otherwise as perfect as the day it had been completed; little wonder, for it had probably only been worn for that lady’s wedding day then stored away until it had come to the shop. It cost an impressive $100 but was still well within what Lizzy could afford with the money William had given her. After a visit to a seamstress and leaving the dress for the alterations, Lizzy and Charlie went out for coffee to talk about the wedding.

'We set the date for Friday. We’d love it if you’d be a witness for us, Charlie.'

'I’d love to, pet!' he exclaimed. 'Where are you having the reception?'

'Oh, we aren’t having one. It’s going to be a very simple wedding.'

'Applesauce!' Charlie pshawed. 'We’ll talk to Caterino. You can have the party at the Kitty Kat.'

'I don’t think he’s going to close the Kitty Kat on a Friday night, Charlie. I’ll be lucky to get the night off!' Again Charlie dismissed her concerns.

'I’ll talk to him. Don’t you worry.' True to his word, Charlie somehow convinced Caterino not only to close the Kitty Kat Lounge for Lizzy’s reception, but also to have an open bar at the party. The day of the wedding finally arrived, dawning to find Lizzy alone in her bed; the couple had decided to observe the traditions and not see each other until the ceremony. Charlie came over and helped Lizzy with her hair and makeup, while William snazzed up at Rick’s, where he had spent the night. He wore one of the tuxedos he already owned, and the cousins drove to City Hall in the Phantom, one of the last opportunities he would have to drive his baby before it went to the man who had purchased it.

Despite the bride and groom being dressed to the nines, the wedding was otherwise a simple one, lasting only a few minutes and with only Charlie and Rick as guests and witnesses. As their gift to the couple, the girls at the club had collected enough money to pay for the wedding night at the swankiest hotel in town. The newlyweds and their friends caroused into the night at the Kitty Kat; the party was still going strong at midnight, when the Darcys left for the hotel. William carried his young bride over the threshold with flourish, despite her giggles and protests that she was perfectly capable of walking.

'I love you, Mrs. Darcy,' William said once he had finally put her down.

'I love _you_ , Mr. Darcy. Gee… I can’t believe we’re really married,' Lizzy replied dreamily.

'Yes, we are,' he confirmed, pulling her close. 'Now we can you-know-what as much as we want,' he said suggestively.

Lizzy snorted. 'Ooh, there’s a change,' she said sarcastically. ‘Imagine, us, ‘you-know-whating’ all the time. Who would have thought?'

William smacked her bottom for her impertinence and then groped her with both hands for good measure. 'Hush. Time to do your wifely duties,' he informed her, reaching up to undo the laces of her dress.

'What, cooking, cleaning and birthing babies?' she teased.

'Not quite,' William countered, pushing her dress down so it pooled at her feet. 'I was thinking more of that part where you said you would do your best always to pleasure your husband.'

'That’s _please_ my husband,' Lizzy corrected.

'My way is better,' he insisted with a naughty eyebrow waggle. 'Now get naked.'

Lizzy happily obliged him before reaching over to help him remove his tuxedo. 'Mmm… my husband is so tight,' the new Mrs. Darcy growled. 'And all mine.'

William drew her naked body against his and pushed her backward towards the bed. 'This is the first time we’ve been naked together since we’ve been married,' he remarked. 'And this is the first time I’ve touched these babies since we’ve been married. And this is the first time I’ve…'

'William,' Lizzy interrupted, 'if you’re going to list everything that we do for the first time since we’ve been married, it’s going to be a very long night. Just shut up and make love to your wife.'


	8. Chapter 8

William soon became accustomed to living in relative poverty. At first his spending habits had been somewhat difficult to break, but a few scoldings from Lizzy had set him straight. Thanks to a few personal favours he was able to call in, he found a teller job at a local bank. The salary was substantially less than he had been making but combined with Lizzy's income it was plenty to pay all their bills. Most of the money made from the sale of the Phantom and penthouse was for the moment securely tucked away in one of his bank's best investment options, except for the small amount they kept in the apartment for emergencies. They were young, happy, and in love. Everything was perfect… just perfect.

**********

_Two years later…_

'Happy anniversary,' William murmured, grabbing his wife by the waist the moment she walked in the door. A bouquet of roses popped up in front of her as her neck was assaulted by William's kisses. 'I love you.'

'Happy anniversary yourself,' she laughed. 'Miss me?'

'Terribly. Let's get that sweaty dress off, shall we?' He didn't wait for her reply but started unhooking the back of her dress. She slapped his hands away.

'Just a minute, fella. I have something for you.'

'I have something for you, too,' William assured her lasciviously, waggling his eyebrows. Lizzy rolled her eyes.

'You are impossible. Here. Happy anniversary.' She held a package in her extended hands. 'Second anniversary, cotton,' she explained as he opened it.

'A shirt,' he said, trying to sound enthusiastic as he looked the plain white garment over. 'Thank you, honey.' He smiled weakly back at Lizzy, who had somehow managed to strip completely while he looked at his gift. She took the shirt from his hand, put it on, and walked calmly over to the sink. An empty vase, in which William had planned to put the roses, sat on the counter; she filled it, then proceeded to pour the water on herself. The thin white fabric became completely transparent and clung to her body like a second skin. William was speechless. Fortunately, words were not necessary.

After two years of marriage, William occasionally thought that novelty was impossible in their relationship. Once again, he had been proven wrong; Lizzy's creativity and passion continued unabated. He picked her up, running his hands over her slick wet skin as he carried her to the bedroom. _Happy anniversary indeed._

The next morning, the Darcys ate their brunch in a companionable silence, each reading their favourite part of the morning paper: Lizzy the obituaries and William the comic strips. The sound of a shattering coffee cup and Lizzy's sharp gasp called his attention from _Little Orphan Annie_. Lizzy was pale and shaking like a leaf.

'Love, what's wrong?' he asked anxiously, rushing to her side to offer support. She didn't answer, but pointed at an obituary on the open page.

_Robert Bennet, 56. Deceased Friday. Survived by wife Ethel and five daughters. Burial today, 2 p.m., Sacred Heart Church Cemetery._

'Oh Lizzy… is that your father?' Lizzy nodded slowly, silent tears streaming down her cheeks. 'I'm so sorry, love.' He held her as she sobbed, stroking and kissing her hair until she finally calmed down. 'Would you like to go? We can take a cab to the church.'

She shook her head. 'If I were invited, they would have told me.'

'But Sheba, you haven't spoken to them in nearly six years. Perhaps they didn't know where to find you.'

'He wouldn't have wanted me to come,' she whispered. 'I broke his heart.'

'Then maybe this is your chance to make your peace with him.' Lizzy shook her head again, but he knew that her resolve was weakening. 'You don't have to go to the ceremony; we'll stand farther away until everyone leaves, and you can pay your respects alone.' A few more soothing words, and Lizzy agreed to the scheme.

They dressed and called a cab to take them, timing their arrival after the ceremony had started in order to go unnoticed. William thought he saw one mourner, a young woman with long blonde hair, look at them curiously for a moment, but his attention was diverted soon after by Lizzy turning to weep uncontrollably into his shoulder. As soon as the crowd had dispersed, they made their way tentatively to the plot into which Robert Bennet's coffin had just been lowered.

Upon seeing the temporary marker bearing her father's name, Lizzy immediately fell to her knees and began crying again, apologies and curses blending together in a stream of incoherent wails. William stood helplessly by, waiting until she came back to him. Neither of them noticed the approach of the blonde William had observed earlier. Finally, Lizzy rose and hugged William with all her might.

'Lizzy?' uttered a soft female voice from behind him. William felt his wife stiffen in his arms at the sound. 'Lizzy, is that you?'

'Jane?' came Lizzy's hoarse reply. She released William and peeked around him to see her eldest sister standing a few feet away.

'Lizzy! Oh God, it is you!' Jane rapidly closed the distance between them and squeezed her sister in a tight embrace that Lizzy returned uncertainly. 'I'm so glad you came. We wanted to tell you, but we didn't know…'

'If I was even alive?' Lizzy finished bitterly, stepping away.

'How to find you,' Jane corrected softly. 'We knew you were alive and doing well.'

'Oh? And how could you know that if none of you have seen or spoken to me in six years?' she spat back.

Jane's eyes filled with tears. 'Lizzy, Daddy always regretted what he did, I swear it. It killed him that he had forced you to leave, but his pride never let him admit that he had been wrong. He kept hoping that you would come home and ask to be forgiven, but until…'

'And how was I supposed to know that?' Lizzy cried. 'I was seventeen years old and he threw me out into the street regardless of my pleading. He gave me no reason to think that I would be welcome again!'

'I know. And he forbade the rest of us from trying to talk to you too. But he did care what happened to you.' Lizzy snorted in disbelief. Jane continued, her voice shaking. 'Every year he paid a detective to find you and make sure you were doing well. He didn't want to know anything else, which is why we couldn't find you, but every year on your birthday we would sit down to dinner and he would say, ‘Lizzy is fine,' and then we would eat.' Lizzy covered her mouth to stifle a loud sob. William, a bit misty-eyed himself, put his hands on her shoulders to steady her, and she leaned back against him with her eyes closed.

'It's all right darling, it's all right,' he murmured, kissing the top of her head soothingly. Jane seemed to notice him for the first time, and quickly observed their matching platinum bands and the monster ruby on Lizzy's finger.

'Oh Lizzy!' she exclaimed quietly, this time in a different tone. 'How long have you been married?'

Called back to her surroundings, Lizzy recalled the need to introduce William. 'Two years. This is my husband, William Darcy. William, this is my sister Jane.'

Jane's eyebrows rose even as she shook his hand amiably. 'William Darcy? As in the…'

'Disowned son of James Darcy?' he finished for her. 'Yes, that would be me.'

'I'm sorry, I didn't mean…'

'It's all right. I've gotten used to it.'

Jane blushed and changed the subject. 'Well, congratulations to you both on your marriage. I wish you every happiness.'

'Thank you,' Lizzy said sincerely. 'Did you ever marry?'

Jane shook her head. 'Daddy's health started to fail about three years ago, and someone had to take care of him. So I did.' An awkward pause followed, which Jane finally broke. 'Will you come back with me for dinner? I'm sure Mama would be happy to have you,' she offered in what she hoped was a convincing tone.

Lizzy hesitated for a moment and finally shook her head. 'I don't think so, Jane. But thank you.' Her sister nodded sadly, understanding the message in the polite refusal: _I am no longer a part of that family._

'It was good to see you, Lizzy.'

'It was good to see you, too, Jane.' The sisters embraced tightly again, and after a few polite parting words, Jane turned around and walked to the car that was awaiting her. She waved once more before stepping inside and disappearing. Lizzy stood frozen looking after the car until it was gone.

'Finished?' William asked, wrapping his arms around her. Lizzy looked again at the temporary marker, which bore the inscription of what would be engraved on the final stone. _Robert Bennet 3 September 1873 – 4 January 1929 Beloved husband of Ethel, beloved father of Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Catherine, and Lydia._ She had been acknowledged. Closing her eyes and breathing a sigh of relief, she nodded.

'Finished.'

**********

The whispers had begun the year before- the economy was soaring too high, margin was going to catch up with everyone, collapse was imminent. But it was hard to believe such talk in the middle of so much prosperity. William would not have listened to it at all if he hadn't overheard a few of his colleagues at the bank discussing the stock market with trepidation clearly in their voices. That same afternoon he took all his money out of investments and put it into a savings account; not as profitable, but certainly much safer.

Summer passed smoothly, but September showed the beginnings of a bear market and recession. Nothing prepared William, Lizzy, or the rest of the country for what happened in October.

When the crash finally came, it was spectacular. Millionaires became paupers, business empires crumbled. Black Tuesday, as it was quickly dubbed by the newspaper men, destroyed almost everyone… but not the Darcys. Their money was safely tucked away far from the stock market and the disaster. They felt the pinch, as everyone did, but they were both still employed and had their savings. The Kitty Kat Lounge no longer had the number of customers it had before the crash, but it was still turning out a small profit thanks to alcohol's ability to erase a sad businessman's problems for a few hours.

Thus, complete poverty was not what William and Lizzy expected to face by the beginning of 1931. Lizzy was twenty-six and beginning to yearn for a family; William felt the same way but wanted to wait until the economy improved a bit. He was walking to work and thinking about the delicate nature of their finances and family situation when he ran directly into an angry mob. He had heard of such riots, even seen some from afar, and wondered about the cause of this one. Then he realized; they were rioting in front of _his_ bank, calling out for them to open the doors. He felt the icy grip of fear wrap around his spine as he walked around to the rear employees' entrance.

'Frank! What is going on out there?' he asked his despondent-looking co-worker who was smoking on the back stoop.

'The bank is closed,' Frank replied in the voice of one who no longer cared. 'For good. No more money, no more jobs.'

'What do you mean closed?' William asked frantically. 'What do you mean no _jobs_?'

'The bank failed,' Frank shrugged. 'All the money is gone.'

'Even the savings?'

'Even the savings. And you and I, my friend, are out of work.' William joined Frank on the stoop, dazed. All the money from the Rolls, the penthouse, vanished into thin air, no chance of recovery. And he was unemployed to boot; the dreams of starting a family disappeared along with the small wealth they had.

Lizzy returned from rehearsal to find William sitting at the kitchen table, his head buried in his hands; he looked extremely upset and as if he had been sitting there for quite a while.

'Daddy, what's wrong?' she asked, rushing to his side.

He looked up at her with desperate eyes. 'It's gone Lizzy. It's all gone.'

'What's gone, William? Talk to me!' He still seemed stunned, and she shook him as if to wake him from the stupor.

'The money. Everything that was in the bank. I tried to get in, but they had closed it down already. It's all gone now.' Lizzy's jaw dropped. How could this have happened? Now was clearly not the time to ask, though; William needed reassurance.

'William, calm down, daddy. It's alright. We still have our wages, and the money we keep in the house.'

'No, we have _your_ wages. The bank is closed for good. I don't have a job anymore.'

Lizzy frowned, but stayed calm; she was still convinced that all wasn't lost.

'Then we'll talk to Caterino. He could probably use another barkeep or something. It will be fine.'

William nodded absent-mindedly but was obviously not convinced. In the end, Caterino could in fact use a new barkeep, as one of the two young men in that position had called in sick the day the bank closed (and his savings eradicated) to give himself time to jump in the river. Caterino generously scheduled William for most of the nights Lizzy sang and arranged for quick training over the next few days. By the weekend he was ready for his debut, and to say that he was a smashing success would have been an understatement.

Though he was a bit shy in crowds, William's good looks and smouldering charm quickly won over the female clientele and perhaps some of the male- or at least Charlie, who could not let a day go by without coming on to Lizzy's easily-embarrassed husband. The other gents recognized a man's man when they saw one as well, and William found himself learning more about the sad lives of drunken customers than he had ever desired. The wages were still less than they had been at the bank, but tips added to their total income quite nicely. William felt calmer about the couple being able to live, but after a couple of months it became clear that having a child anytime soon would be out of the question.

Time passed, and each month seemed only to worsen the financial problems of the nation. Those months turned painfully into years, and it became clear that a deep economic depression was here to stay. The Darcys kept their steady work at the Kitty Kat Lounge, which remained somewhat profitable, but Caterino could not afford to raise anyone's wages. Things went from bad to worse in December of 1933 when the twenty-first amendment to the constitution was passed: alcohol was legal again, and thus no longer the precious commodity that only bootleg clubs could provide. A monopoly on hard liquor kept the club's head above water, but only time would tell if it would survive.

**********

_February 1934  
_  
William and Lizzy arrived at work on a typical Monday as usual in the early afternoon, she to rehearse, he to restock the bar (and watch her rehearse). After a bit of hanky-panky backstage, Lizzy waited for her turn with the band while William helped Charlie and a couple of stagehands unload the truck containing the beverages. Charlie got away with a bit of naughty teasing and even a tap on William's 'sweet little rear fender' before William had blushed sufficiently for Charlie's amusement. He had just begun replacing the empty bottles behind the bar when Caterino greeted him during the owner's daily rounds.

'Hello William! Fine afternoon we're having.'

'Hi boss. How are you?'

'Oh, fine, fine. You and Lizzy are well, I hope?' William replied that they were fine. 'How's the money situation? Not too terrible?'

'We manage.'

'Lizzy will be turning thirty next year, won't she?' Caterino asked casually. William nodded. 'Getting late for her to have a baby isn't it? She wants one, doesn't she?'

'We would love to have a baby, but we can't exactly afford a child right now.' In fact, William was beginning to fear that they would never have the money to start their family; the hard times showed no sign of improvement, and Lizzy wasn't getting any younger. Wait much longer, and it would be dangerous for her and the child; but what good was it to bring a healthy child into the world if they couldn't feed it?

'You know if you ever need help, you can come to me,' Caterino said with an arm wrapping around William's shoulder in a fatherly manner. 'I got some other business opportunities that you can help me with, if you need some more scratch.'

'Thanks boss, I'll keep that in mind.' The older man patted his shoulder and went off to speak with another employee.

William watched Caterino walk away with growing dread. Since the 'noble experiment' had ended, the Kitty Kat's already slender profits had been slowly but steadily decreasing, and with so much of their savings having been lost in the crash, the Darcys were running low on money. Their wages combined were enough for now, but if they ever wanted to start a family, more would be necessary, and it seemed like the only way to get more would be to do more- specifically, do more for Caterino. At the moment, William could still hold him off, but if things got any tighter, he wouldn't have much choice. Doing 'favours' for Caterino was beginning to look like the only way William and Lizzy would be able to stay afloat in the long-term.

All thoughts of money and Caterino faded as Lizzy took the stage for rehearsal. As on the first night he saw her, he found himself captivated by her voice. She danced around the stage with that seductive innocence he had always found so appealing as she sang her latest favourite.  
  
[We thought that love was over,](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chn4FhezGyE) _  
That we were really through,  
I said I didn't love him,  
That we'd begin anew  
And you can all believe me,  
We sure intended to,  
But we just couldn't say goodbye._  
  
William smiled to himself; he saw this song as somewhat of an anthem for them, and to be honest, he liked the way she wiggled around when she performed it.

_So I went back and kissed him,_ _  
And when I looked around,  
The room was singin' love songs,  
And dancing up and down.  
And now we're both so happy,  
Because at last we've found.  
That we just couldn't say goodbye._

She finished the number as usual by sending him a wink and a kiss, which he returned with a sigh. He wanted so badly to give Lizzy a family, and though she didn't talk about it, he knew she was concerned about her increasing age. Perhaps doing favours for Caterino wouldn't be so bad after all. He gave himself two weeks to think about it and see if he could find another source of income; if all else failed, he would go to Caterino and accept his vague offers of 'more scratch.'

That time had almost passed when Caterino approached Lizzy before her act one night and requested a special performance. Not only did he want her to 'knock everybody's socks off,' he also requested that she do some of her older jazz and vaudeville numbers for a very special guest she would meet after the show.

Lizzy's look had changed with the fashion and her figure, which was now fuller but still light and graceful. She wore longer [dresses](https://imgur.com/25s9jof)\- still red, of course- that clung to her every curve, and when William saw her old dancing in the new style, he was tempted to carry her off the stage and take her home for a more private show. He was far too distracted to wonder why she was revisiting her past acts.

As Caterino had hoped, everyone's socks were indeed knocked off. Lizzy was sensational that night, singing her most popular numbers and playing the crowd perfectly with her bewitching mixture of sensuality and playfulness. The club was full to overflowing, so William was exhausted by last call. At last the multitudes began to disperse and he was able to start cleaning up the bar as he waited for Lizzy to come out.

While most of the crowd was being ushered out, William noticed one man, dressed to the nines in a white suit and some rather garish jewellery, still sitting at his table sipping his drink. The girls seemed to have been given special instructions about him, because they made no move to expel him and seemed in fact to be pampering him while he waited for whatever it was that had brought him here. He was just finishing his drink when that reason appeared: Caterino Delborgo and Lizzy finally appeared from backstage and approached the man, who stood to meet them at the foot of the stage. Caterino had one arm around Lizzy and was gesticulating wildly with the other while Lizzy blushed furiously. The small, modest smile on her face told William that she was being praised to the unknown patron; a personal friend of Caterino, judging by the warm way in which the men had greeted each other.

William wiped down the same spot on the bar distractedly as he watched the stranger talk to Lizzy. He was wary of anyone who was a personal friend of Caterino Delborgo, but one who showed a personal interest in Lizzy was worse still. Carefully watching their interaction, he was surprised to see Lizzy's face go from shock to a wide smile, and after another brief exchange, she gestured him over to the stage.

'William!' she called out when he drew near. 'This is Carl Lucas. You know, the movie producer?' William's eyebrows shot up, and he wondered what Caterino was up to now. 'He wants to put me in pictures!'

'Your wife is very talented,' Carl cut in. 'RKO is interested in doing a series of jazz talkies to get people remembering the good old days, you know, and I think Lizzy would be perfect for it.' Lizzy beamed at the compliment, making her position on the proposal obvious. William knew that if she wanted to do it, he wouldn't have the heart to deny her.

'Thank you, Mr. Lucas. I happen to agree with you,' he replied, kissing Lizzy's hand affectionately. 'And what exactly does this involve?'

'First of all, we'll have to get you LA. One word from me and she won't have to worry about auditions, so we can get right down to filming. If the first one sells, we'll make more. She'll be paid well, of course.'

'How well?' Lizzy asked.

'$9,000, give or take, for the first one, plus benefits. Probably more for the rest, if they happen.' The Darcys were awed by the sum. How anyone could afford to pay that sort of salary in such times was incomprehensible to them, but if the studio was willing to do it, they would be hard pressed to turn it down.

'May I discuss this with my wife for a moment?' William asked. Carl nodded his assent, and the couple stepped aside to quietly confer.

'William, this is a wonderful offer,' Lizzy began. 'Can you imagine? Living in California, being in pictures!' Her youthful eyes sparkled with a light William hadn't seen since before her father died.

'We could definitely use the money,' he admitted. 'Our wages won't cut it much longer, a fact which Caterino knows and would love to exploit by offering to pay me more to do ‘favours' for him. Since liquor isn't as profitable anymore, things are getting heavier, so I'd rather not be forced into that if I can help it.'

Lizzy paled at the thought of William getting involved with Caterino's more illicit activities. 'No, of course not. But if you don't want me to do it…'

'Why wouldn't I want you to do it?' William interrupted. 'I think you'd be wonderful! Then the world would see how talented you are,' he replied tenderly.

'Oh daddy!' she cried, hugging him excitedly. 'I'm so glad! It will be good for us to get away. And maybe… maybe we'll eventually have enough money to start a family,' she added more shyly.

William smiled broadly. 'Yeah… yeah we could.' Lizzy kissed him and they walked back to Carl Lucas hand in hand. 'All right Mr. Lucas, we'll accept your offer. But both of us need to be involved in any decisions involving Lizzy's career,' he added.

'Certainly, certainly my boy. Now, how soon can you be available to go to LA?'

Here Caterino, who had been hanging back while the discussion was taking place, cut in. 'I've already found replacements for them- not that anyone will be as good as you, my dears- but I'll need them to stay two more weeks.'

Lucas nodded thoughtfully. 'That should be fine. I'll go on ahead to prepare everything and write up the contract. RKO will of course pay for your train tickets, so I'll arrange for those as well. Shall I arrange a hotel for you or would you like me to find an apartment right off?'

'Er, whatever is less expensive, I suppose,' William replied.

Lucas chuckled. 'My dear Mr. Darcy, your digs are part of the ‘benefits' I mentioned. Think nothing of the expense.'

Lizzy and William's eyes widened simultaneously. 'Oh! Then I guess it would be better to be settled right away.'

'Apartment it is. Very well. Thank you for your time, Mr. Darcy, Mrs. Darcy. I'll be in touch soon.' With a handshake for William, a kiss for Lizzy, and a hug for Caterino, Carl Lucas went out to his waiting limousine.

Caterino approached the couple now, offering congratulations in his expansive Italian way. 'My dearest loves, I am so happy for you!' he exclaimed with hugs and kisses. 'You are beautiful for the films! Everyone will love you!' Lizzy blushed, but William looked at their boss curiously.  
  


'And why is it that you're so happy to be rid of your most popular act and barkeep, Mr. Delborgo? Clearly you were planning for this, since you've already found replacements. What's in it for you?'

Caterino looked not the least bit abashed. 'Ten percent of the profits of all of Lizzy's films for discovering RKO's new star,' he replied with a wink.

'That's quite a risk, isn't it? How do you know there will be more than one film, or that they'll make any money?' Lizzy poked her husband in the ribs, offended by his lack of faith. 'Not that I think they'll be anything less than enormously successful of course,' he appended hastily.

Caterino patted his cheek in a fatherly way. 'Ah, caro mio… she will be a big star. If not,' he shrugged, 'I just hire her back to make money for me here.' Lizzy laughed and hugged her protector.

'Thank you Mr. Delborgo. I won't let you down.'


	9. Chapter 9

Lizzy's farewell performance was the most profitable night in the history of the Kitty Kat Lounge. Word had spread quickly through the club scene that the jazz star was going to Hollywood, and everyone wanted to catch a glimpse of her so they could say, 'I saw her when!' Even Rick made an appearance, though he had avoided the Kitty Kat since William and Lizzy had been together. It also happened to be the night when she received the most illicit offers from overly eager male members of the audience; as usual, she took great care to make sure William never found out about these propositions, and gave all the flowers and gifts that were sent to her backstage to the other girls. After many tearful encores and bows, the club finally closed to the public, and Lizzy's farewell party began. Caterino and several of the girls made speeches, but the most memorable was Charlie's goodbye poem.

'My dearest Lizzy, you knock off my socks, the boys like you better than Scotch on the rocks, you'll be swell in pictures, and your husband is a fox.' He bowed extravagantly to the hoots and applause, then said to Lizzy in an exaggerated stage whisper, 'If you ever get tired of him, send him on back to me. That's not part of them poem, it's just an offer.'

William blushed furiously as he always did in response to Charlie's flirtations, eliciting more laughter from the crowd. With a frown, he stood up and walked menacingly towards the emcee; however, rather than do something violent as everyone almost expected him to, he grabbed Charlie's face and planted a noisy peck on his lips. This left _Charlie_ blushing and speechless, and Lizzy breathless with laughter. The festivities ended on this high note; Lizzy and William bid adieu to their friends and left the Kitty Kat Lounge for good.

The following dawn saw the Darcys boarding their west-bound train out of Pennsylvania Station; a week later they were moving into their new digs in sunny Los Angeles. It was a fresh start in a new place, and they were optimistic for the future despite the unrelenting economic hardship.

Alas, California was no better than the East in terms of available work; William searched for weeks, but always came up empty. He might have been able to find seasonal jobs, such as farm work, but with Lizzy's salary there was no need for such extremes. Therefore, he decided to spend his time more pleasantly: he went to the studio with Lizzy every day and watched the filming. RKO immediately put Lizzy on a gruelling schedule so they could release the film by the end of March. Three weeks of sixteen-hour days later- with a break to introduce her to the public at the Academy Awards- filming was completed and _Jazz Baby_ was released in early April to audiences that immediately fell in love with Lizzy Darcy.

Carl Lucas immediately set up three more films for Lizzy that year, each with an escalating salary and greater publicity for RKO's new star. It wasn't long before others within the industry began to take notice of Lizzy's talent, and soon MGM came knocking with an attempt to borrow Lizzy for a new picture starring Clark Gable. However exciting this sudden success was, the arduous timetable seemed to be affecting Lizzy's health; as filming on her fourth movie began, she was looking pale and tired, and could hardly wake up in the morning without getting sick. When William mentioned that she looked thinner than usual, she decided to go to the doctor and see what was wrong.

Dinner was unusually quiet that evening, which worried William. Lizzy was typically bubbling over with stories of the studio or shopping or whatever it was she had done that day. He knew she hadn't been feeling well, but he expected at least to hear about her trip to the doctor. Then it hit him; what if she had received terrible news from the doctor and was afraid to tell him? A million awful scenarios went through his head, all of them ending with Lizzy dying painfully in his arms and leaving him alone. _Oh God, please let her be all right,_ he silently prayed.

'I went to the doctor today,' she said casually, as if in response to his thoughts.

'And?' he asked anxiously.

'He said that it's perfectly normal for me to be feeling so ill and light-headed right now, considering.'

'Considering what?' William pressed her, his voice frantic with worry. _Considering that you have a terrible disease? Considering that you're dying?_

Lizzy took a deep breath. 'Considering that I'm nearly two months along.' She looked at him expectantly to gauge his reaction, but he looked only confused.

'Nearly two months along what?'

Lizzy rolled her eyes. 'We're going to have a baby, William,' she explained softly. The expression on William's face went from confusion to shock to understanding to elation in a matter of moments.

'A baby? We're having… a baby?' he asked breathlessly. 'Oh Lizzy!' He jumped up and grabbed her by the waist, whirling her around in the air as he whooped joyfully. 'A baby… and here I thought you had a deadly illness.'

'Daddy, you are a silly goose sometimes. Are you really happy? I know it's a bit earlier than we were planning for, but I'll be done with this film before my belly starts showing, and there will be plenty of time before the next one will be made, and…'

William put his finger on her lips to shush her. 'You're babbling darling. Of course I'm happy. I don't care if it's a bit earlier than we planned. We're having a baby!' He kissed her smiling mouth passionately, then pulled back as he thought of a rather unpleasant possibility.

'Er, Lizzy… can we still, um, that is, would it hurt the baby to…'

'No, we still can,' she replied to a very relieved William. 'Almost right up to the time.'

'Good. I don't think I could survive nine months of chastity.' Lizzy laughed so hard she could scarcely draw breath. When her hysterics finally died down, she looked up at William, who was frowning down at her with his arms crossed defiantly against his chest. 'What's so funny?'

'The thought of _you_ being chaste for nine months. I don't think we've ever gone nine _days_ without making love.'

'Yes we have. That business trip I went on when we first got together. That was almost nine days,' he corrected her defensively.

'And as soon as you got back you held me hostage in your penthouse for the whole weekend as your sex slave,' she teased. 'No business trips longer than three days after that either, as I recall.'

'I don't remember hearing any complaints,' he pouted, wrapping his arms around her waist.

'No complaints at all. It's not your fault that you're insatiable, and it's not my fault that I'm completely irresistible. But you see why it's so funny to think of you being able to stay out of our bed for nine months.'

'Actually, it's not funny at all,' he grumbled. 'Unless you find it amusing to contemplate my death.'

Lizzy rolled her eyes. 'You always were dramatic. Nobody ever died of celibacy.'

'Perhaps not, but I've heard that dozens of people mysteriously explode each year. I think that's how.'

Lizzy laughed again and pressed her hips hard against him. 'Well, you don't need to worry about that. There won't be any celibacy around here,' she said provocatively, snaking her hand down the back of his trousers and giving his bottom a firm squeeze.

'Hell, I don't want any celibacy right _now_. Bend over that table and make it snappy.' Lizzy pulled away from him and followed his orders with a little wiggle. William came up behind her and pulled up her skirt, revealing nothing but skin underneath. 'Lizzy! You don't have anything on!'

'I thought you might want to celebrate,' she said with a naughty smile.

William returned an equally lascivious grin and quickly unbuttoned his trousers. 'You know me so well,' he agreed before sliding into her. Lizzy gasped, bracing herself against the table as William's pace increased. 'You know, for the next nine, well, seven I suppose, months, we'll save so much money on condoms,' he mused, reaching his arms around Lizzy's waist to fondle her as he continued thrusting.

'How… practical… of you,' she panted. William ignored her tease, or perhaps he just didn't have the breath left to answer. Either way, conversation ended as the heat consumed them both. He kept a tight hold on her waist while he shuddered to completion, making her body shake with his, sending her toppling over the edge with one final push. Their breathing slowed in unison; when she could finally speak, Lizzy asked again in a small voice, 'Are you really happy?'

William turned her around to face him and tilted up her chin so she could look in his eyes. 'I could never be anything but happy with you, Lizzy.'

She smiled and shoved him playfully. 'You old softie,' she grinned.

William waggled his eyebrows and forced her against the table. 'Right now, but just give me a little while to recover….'

**********

_Hollywood Darling Lizzy Darcy Expecting!_ _  
Jazz baby and husband William eagerly await new addition to family_

_RKO Pictures announced today that its top leading lady is in the family way. 'We're so happy,' Mrs. Darcy told_ **_Daily Variety_ ** _. 'We've always wanted a family.' Though Mrs. Darcy's condition will prevent her from taking a role in an upcoming MGM picture as many in Hollywood had expected her to do, RKO confirms that she will be in the studio again by the end of the year._

'And thank goodness for that,' William muttered as he finished the brief article.

'For what?' Lizzy asked, looking over his shoulder at the headline.

'For your well-timed fertility,' he teased. 'You know how I felt about RKO renting you out for that _Clark Gable_ picture.' He spat the name with some distaste and a grimace.

'William, don't be absurd. What has the man ever done to you?'

'Nothing but look at my wife like a particularly tasty dessert,' he replied sarcastically. 'I don't want that womaniser anywhere near you.'

'That is just gossip,' she scolded. 'He's a married man.'

'I doubt marriage vows have ever stood in his way,' William snorted.

Lizzy wrapped her arms around her husband's shoulders and kissed the top of his head. 'Even if the rumours are true, _I_ am a happily married woman and would be in no danger. Or don't you trust me?' she said testily.

'Of course I trust _you_ , but it doesn't mean I want you to work with him,' William defended himself weakly. 'Besides, he has big ears. Leave me alone.'

Lizzy laughed and patted his shoulder comfortingly. 'You are adorable when you get jealous. It doesn't matter anyway; you knocked me up to avoid the problem.'

William stuck out his tongue and returned his attention to the paper. 'And I would do it again.'

Celebrations over the coming addition to the Darcy family continued in many ways, but Lizzy's congratulatory gift to William was the biggest surprise of all. On her last day of filming for the picture 'Cupid's Bow', the couple left in a studio cab as usual, but instead of taking them home, the driver followed Lizzy's whispered instructions to a 'mystery location' which she refused to divulge to William until they arrived. He smiled and indulged her, even closing his eyes at her command when they drew near; he felt the car stop, stepped out, and heard Lizzy pay and dismiss the driver. This made him even more curious and a bit excited, because apparently her surprise had something to do with how they were getting home. She led him a few more steps, and he could hear the eagerness in her voice when they stopped and she whispered, 'Open your eyes.'

There before him was a brand new, silver Rolls Royce [Phantom II Continental](https://imgur.com/dANSRoF). A white sign with red letters sitting on the dashboard proclaimed that this particular model was sold. A slow smile crept onto William's face as he turned to look at his wife. He didn't even need to ask; Lizzy nodded and held out the small portfolio of papers naming William Darcy as the proud owner of the beautiful machine.

'You bought this for me?' William asked, his voice choked with emotion.

'Well, you're not much of a Rolls-Royce Papa without one, are you? And we do need something to take the baby around in.' Lizzy barely had time to finish speaking before William picked her up in his arms and swung her around, then planted a kiss on her mouth that was quite indecent for such a public place.

'I love you, Lizzy. But you didn't need to do this.'

'Of course I did! What self-respecting star doesn't have a swanky car and her own driver?' she teased. 'Now, how about a ride?' William waggled his eyebrows at this tempting invitation. 'I mean in the car buster!' The lascivious grin stayed firmly in place. 'Let's take a _drive_ in the _car_ , you depraved crackpot!' William kept smiling but acquiesced after a whispered promise of another sort of ride at home. It wasn't long before the Rolls-Royce company received a letter praising the great comfort of the backseat of the Phantom II Continental.

**********

Except for a scare in the seventh month that forced Lizzy to bed rest until the end of her term, everything went smoothly. On June twenty-seventh, 1935, Mabel Margaret Darcy made her grand entrance to a very tired mother and an immediately doting father; ten days later, mother and child went home healthy and happy. Gifts were received from Lizzy's past co-stars, Caterino, and even Clark Gable. Rick, with whom the Darcys had been in steady but superficial contact since moving to LA, sent a rattle and brief card containing no pertinent details of his own life, as usual. Carl Lucas sent a large bouquet with an attached note saying he hoped Lizzy would recover quickly, casually mentioning a new comedy that began shooting in four months and how 'very perfect' she would be for the role. Lizzy took this to mean that she had already been contracted and would do well to show up at the studio on the mentioned date.

For both William and Lizzy, seeing their daughter was love at first sight. Though her face and dark, curly hair (which quickly fell out before growing in again) made her a tiny female version of William, her eyes were entirely her mother's. A steel grey at first, they began to darken in the first two months, and were Lizzy's deep, almost black, brown by the time she was six months old. But beyond this, they had the same slant and twinkle that William had always loved in his wife, and even at such a young age showed that spark of humour that made Lizzy so charming.

On Mabel's four-month birthday, Lizzy returned to the studio for her fifth picture, but, on doctor's orders, only working half-days. By now William had given up on finding work, and instead elected to stay home taking care of Mabel. Lizzy would nurse her in the morning and make a bottle for William to give her until Lizzy returned in the early afternoon. With Lizzy now pulling over $150,000 for each picture, they could have easily afforded a nanny, but the Darcys were resolutely against a stranger raising their daughter. Lizzy teased that she didn't like the idea of William home alone with another woman and only Mabel as chaperone, so William promised not to hire a nurse if Lizzy promised never to work with Clark Gable. They sealed the bargain quite thoroughly in bed that night.

The first month of this arrangement went rather successfully; Mabel was definitely a daddy's girl, with said daddy wrapped securely around her pudgy little finger. On a rare rainy day just five months after Mabel's birth, William had just put her down for her morning nap when there was a knock at the front door. He placed a kiss on Mabel's forehead and went to greet the unexpected visitor. William opened the door to find a familiar figure leaning casually against the door with a small suitcase in one hand and a bouquet of flowers in the other.

'Rick!' William cried. 'Rick, old boy! Come in, come in!' The cousins embraced and Rick handed William the flowers.

'These are for Lizzy.' He took them and ushered Rick into the living room.

'They're lovely. Can I offer you some coffee? Damn, I am so glad to see you!'

Rick chuckled bitterly. 'I'm not so sure you will be once you hear why I came. I have a message from your parents.' William's features clouded over. 'You'll have heard that the family business finally went under? Well, it seems that now that they aren't in a position to be so high and mighty anymore, they want to seek a reconciliation.'

'A what?' William said in a tight voice.

'William, they read the papers. They found out that they have a granddaughter, and they want to meet her.'

'And I'm sure they wouldn't mind a bit of money from their rich and famous daughter-in-law.'

'I don't know anything about that,' Rick said truthfully. 'But they figured I was their best chance at getting a message to you.' He handed William a letter. 'I don't know what it says, and I don't care. The business part of this trip is over,' he declared, finally allowing himself a smile. 'Now where is that little wife of yours and the newest little Darcy?'

William put the letter in his shirt pocket and embraced his cousin tightly. 'I _am_ still happy to see you. Lizzy is at work, but she only does half days right now, so she should be back soon. You can meet Mabel, though.'

'Mabel? That's a lovely name.'

'It's her mother's middle name. Much better than Fucking,' he mumbled to himself. He opened the door to the nursery, where the little girl lay napping. William picked her up gently, but she woke up anyway. Rick braced himself for a cranky shriek, but instead the baby just sleepily rubbed her eyes and smiled at her daddy, who offered her a cheek to receive a sloppy baby kiss. Rick's breath caught upon seeing her. She was the spitting image of her father, but with the key difference of her mother's eyes making her even more striking.

'How old is she now?' he asked, awkwardly taking the little bundle of joy from William's extended arms. Mabel, ever good-natured, gurgled happily and patted Rick's cheek in greeting.

'Five months. Isn't she a sweetheart?' As if to prove herself, Mabel planted an unsolicited drooly 'kiss' on Rick's nose.

'Quite the darling. A little moist for my taste though. Uh, on top and bottom,' he grimaced, handing the child back to her father.

'Come on poopsy,' William said in a baby voice. 'Time for a change for daddy's sweetie.' Rick resisted the urge to snort and watched with amusement as William changed his daughter's diaper.

'You change diapers?' Rick asked incredulously.

'Yes, yes, I know it's woman's work,' William shrugged, 'but I like taking care of her. Lizzy is at the studio every morning, and in a couple of months she'll be doing full days. We didn't really want a stranger to raise our child, so it falls to me.'

'You don't have a job?'

'As if I could get one!' William snorted. 'California is glutted with unemployed businessmen. Lizzy makes plenty of money for us, so I'd rather stay home with my daughter than get paid a miserable wage doing menial labour like fruit picking. House husband is a profession that suits me fine,' he winked.

'I must say Willy, I never imagined you so… _domestic_. But it really does become you.'

William turned for a moment to stick out his tongue. 'You just envy my felicity,' he retorted smugly, shaking talcum powder on Mabel's chubby bottom. 'If you cleaned up your act, you might get a girl to stick around someday too.' Rick found himself unable to make a smart reply when William proceeded to nibble on Mabel's feet to tickle her and she giggled contentedly. It was just too cute, and he suddenly _did_ find himself envious of William's domesticity.

'So how is Lizzy? I've seen her films, they're really great.'

William smiled. 'She's wonderful. She loves making movies.'

'Is it true that Clark Gable wants her to star in his next picture?'

'MGM was trying to get her for the lead in ‘After Office Hours' with him, but the negotiation fell through when she found out she was expecting. I heard he was terribly disappointed not to be able to work with her and has been lobbying MGM to steal her from RKO, but I don't know how true that is. Anyway, he might want her to, but she won't if I have anything to say about it. If you had seen the way he was eyeing her at the Oscars, you'd understand,' he said with a knowing look. Picking up the freshly changed Mabel, William led Rick back to the living room. He gestured to the chair and took a seat himself, bouncing Mabel on his knee. 'So what have you been doing since we left the city? Your letters haven't been very forthcoming.'

'Well, you might recall that after the crash I worked my ass off to keep the company going, since your father refused to even try to get you back; not that you would have come of course,' he smirked. 'Things weren't going well, we had to let several people go, and around the time you left, we had to move out of the penthouse offices and into smaller ones on the ‘peasant levels'. That was when my father decided that life wasn't worth living if he couldn't be rich, and he jumped out of his office window as they were carrying out his furniture. So, I had to choose between keeping the company together or keeping my mother together. I chose my mother, and the company went under. Your parents had to sell almost everything, including the house, and got a much smaller place outside the city.'

'Oh Rick, I'm so sorry. Why didn't you tell me sooner?'

'Would you have come back?'

William shook his head. 'No, you know I couldn't. But I could have sent money, I could have helped in some way.'

'They probably wouldn't have taken it, though I wouldn't doubt that they might be humble enough now. When Uncle James told me that he wanted to meet his granddaughter, I thought I was going to die of shock.'

'Hello?' came Lizzy's cheery voice from the door. 'I'm home!' William smiled and rose to greet his wife. 'Daddy! Baby!' she cooed, kissing her loved ones hello. 'Rick!' she squealed when she saw him and ran to give him a hug.

'Mommy doesn't say hello to me like that,' William pouted to Mabel, tickling her under her chin. 'You don't think Mommy likes Rick more than Daddy, do you?' Mabel giggled and shook her head to escape the tickling. 'No, I didn't think so either. Daddy is much better-looking.'

Lizzy ignored her husband's shenanigans and spoke to Rick. 'What brings you to Los Angeles? Will you be staying with us?'

'I'd appreciate it, if you have the room. It will just be a few days.'

'Of course, of course! So did you just come to visit? Or did you want to meet your baby cousin? Isn't she the most wonderful little girl you've ever seen?'

'He brought a letter from my parents,' William said grimly.

'Oh,' Lizzy replied, stunned. 'What does it say?'

'I haven't read it yet. We were still being sociable when you got home.'

'You call this sociable? You haven't even made coffee! Excuse me, Rick, I'll go fix some up right now.' She scurried off to the kitchen, leaving the boys alone. William put Mabel in her playpen, where she immediately curled around a blanket and fell back asleep, and he pulled the letter out of his pocket.

'I suppose I should read this.' Rick nodded and excused himself to help Lizzy. William took a deep breath and opened the envelope.

_Dear William,_ _  
I know you never expected to hear from me again. I certainly never expected to want to speak to you again. But times have changed, you and your girl have done well for yourselves. So well, in fact, that it made that papers when she was with child. I'm getting old, my son, and perhaps soft, but as soon as I heard of it, I knew that I needed to meet my granddaughter, and nothing would make your mother happier. Please consider the possibility. We could meet halfway, in St. Louis, or perhaps Oklahoma City. Send your reply with Rick.  
Your father ever,  
James Darcy_

William had no words to describe the shock he felt at reading this letter. The hand was his father's, as was the signature; otherwise he would have sworn that James Darcy was not the author of the message. In the twenty-eight years he had spent in constant contact with his father, he could not remember the man ever using the word please. And now, here he was offering to meet them halfway, literally and metaphorically, saying please, acknowledging his son again. Of course, he also hadn't actually apologised or admitted any error. William set the letter down on the coffee table and walked slowly to the bar, where he poured himself a large dose of whiskey and downed it.

'That bad?' Lizzy asked sympathetically, returning with the coffee and Rick.

'Worse. They want to meet Mabel. He offered to meet us halfway, in St. Louis or Oklahoma City.'

Lizzy's eyebrows shot up and she looked at William carefully to judge his reaction to this offer. 'You don't want to go, do you?'

William balled his fists and shook his head. 'I'm afraid of what I might do if I see him, Lizzy. I'll never forgive him for what he said about you, for…'

'Being willing to give you up?' she finished for him.

He looked surprised at this, as if he had never thought of that before. 'Yes, I guess so. He and my mother just let me go, disowned me without a second thought.'

'It's no worse than what you did to them, my love.'

'Whose side are you on?' he exploded suddenly. 'I did it for _you_ , so I could be with _you_ , and now you go and defend them?'

Lizzy walked up to him and placed a calming hand on his arm. 'Hush, you'll wake the baby. First of all, I didn't ask you to do it, and you know it. Let's not start that fight. Second, I'm not defending anyone. They hurt me as badly as they hurt you. But it's been a long time, William, and I've had a while to think about it. Just as you're angry that they let you go, they were angry that you were willing to give up your _family_ for a woman you barely knew. Think about it, William; think about how that must have seemed to them. Now here they are, overcoming their pride to write to you. You know your father better than I do, but even I can imagine what that must have cost him. You don't have to forgive them anything, but if nothing else, Mabel has a right to meet her grandparents.'

William snorted. 'I don't see you running to your mother and sisters for them to meet her.'

Lizzy shook her head to say she wasn't buying it. 'And I wouldn't be running to your parents either. But they asked.'

William was silent for a long time then sighed and pulled Lizzy into his arms. 'When did you become so wise?'

'I always was,' she replied impishly, 'you just overlooked it before because you were too busy using me for sex.' Rick's stifled laugh reminded the couple that they were not alone. 'Sorry Rick, forgot you were there,' Lizzy said embarrassedly.

'It happens,' he joked. In reality, he had been enjoying the chance to observe their interactions after so long. Their relationship had changed, mellowed somewhat; they were no longer the passion-driven lovers who couldn't get enough of each other. Rather, they were now a mature, strong couple who supported and complemented each other. Still, Rick suspected that their sex life hadn't suffered much with the passing years. The way they moved and touched each other showed a continuing physical and emotional intimacy unbroken throughout their relationship. 'Anyway, tell me what you have been doing since I saw you last.'

The three of them talked through the afternoon and long into the evening, ordering in their dinner to avoid interruption. Many hours and bottles of wine later, Rick finally pleaded exhaustion and retired to the guest room. William and Lizzy followed soon after, and Rick's earlier suspicions about the health of their bedroom life were fully confirmed by the sounds he heard coming from their room despite the thick walls of the apartment.

Afterwards, the couple lay spooning together as they had done since their first night together, William lightly stroking her bare breasts as much out of habit as pleasure. Lizzy didn't want to speak right away, as she knew that her husband needed to think about how he was going to handle this gesture from his family, but he broached the topic first.

'What am I going to do?' he murmured. 'What are _we_ going to do?'

Lizzy kissed his hand and squeezed it. 'I don't know. But we'll think of something.'


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it, folks! Thank you for coming on this journey with me! I must admit, reading this again has given me an idea for a timestamp, so keep an eye out for that at some point in the near future. Hope you're all keeping safe and well in these crazy times, and thank you for all your lovely comments while I've been posting!

Rick was uninterested in discussing the Darcy situation at greater length; he'd had his fill of family drama and wanted only to enjoy the company of his friends and see the sights of LA, where he had never been. William was happy to indulge his cousin, as he wasn't comfortable discussing the issue either. The two handsome gents and Mabel made an eye-catching trio, turning women's heads at every tourist attraction they visited. In the afternoons they would pick Lizzy up at the studio and go out to dinner at their favourite restaurants. Lizzy was very popular with the wait staff at all of these, as well as the general population; she was constantly accosted for autographs, which she always gave with a friendly smile. She particularly received a great deal of male attention, but William had cleverly learned to deal with that sort of situation by putting Mabel in his lap and saying in a loud voice, 'Look, Mommy is signing an autograph!' This was usually enough for the admirer to get the hint and scram with his new treasure.

The visit lasted only a week, but the ever-resourceful and charismatic Rick managed to make several contacts among the Darcys' acquaintances; by the time he boarded his train, he already had January appointments to meet with RKO executives about his ideas for exciting new opportunities in the entertainment industry. However, high hopes were not all Rick was taking home with him.

Lizzy's latest feature was wrapping up, and because of the upcoming Christmas holidays, she had been able to arrange for a short vacation before the next film began. Much to William's chagrin, she decided that this would be the perfect time to address the Darcys' request to meet their granddaughter by meeting them in Chicago. Before William could chicken out, Lizzy gave Rick a letter, complete with train tickets and hotel reservations, for the elder Darcys. In respect of William's reluctance, Lizzy staggered the trips so that she, William, and Mabel would spend a week in Chicago and depart the day his parents arrived for their week in the town. That way they would only have to spend an hour or two in each other's company, and William was mollified.

Still, as the time drew near for them to depart, William became more anxious, and kept trying to talk Lizzy out of the trip. For a good three days he insisted that Mabel had a terrible fever and was far too ill to be moved, but Lizzy just raised an eyebrow and kissed their daughter's perfectly cool forehead. They would be going to Chicago after all, it seemed.

Their initial train accommodations were the best that money could buy on a seven drawingroom [Pullman sleeper](http://www.northeast.railfan.net/classic/CARdwgs4.html). Lizzy figured that it would be best to start their journey in luxury and comfort to soothe William's nerves. Of course, the prospect of a private toilet held its charms for her as well. After this, they would have to change trains, but she had other plans for convincing him into that.

Two days out of LA, Lizzy was feeling more confident in her scheme. William had done a bit of pouting, but he hadn't complained once about their upcoming meeting with the elder Darcys. They would be changing trains at daybreak, so she put Mabel to bed and snuggled up against William for an early night. He kissed the nape of her neck with a mumbled goodnight and for a few minutes the compartment was quiet. She had just begun to doze off when her husband let out a tortured sigh.

'I don't want to go, Lizzy,' William whined, crushing her small frame tight against his chest in a spooning position. 'I've changed my mind.'

Lizzy shook her head in frustration. 'It's a little late for that, William. We're already on the train and two days away from home.'

'But I really really don't want to go. When we get off at this station, we can take the next train back to California. _Pleeeease_ Lizzy?'

She rolled her eyes and turned to face him. 'William, get a hold of yourself. Mabel has whined less on this trip than you have.' He pouted but could hardly disagree. Their daughter had in fact been a perfect angel throughout the journey and was at the moment happily asleep in her bassinet. 'You have no reason to worry. Your father is hardly in the same position he was ten years ago. Besides, you have another five days to build up your courage. We're going.'

'But I _am_ worried. What if he's still terrible to you? I hit him once to defend you, and I would do it again.' Lizzy stroked his hair and pulled his head down to her breast as if soothing a child. Very unlike a child, however, William could not be in such a position long without other thoughts encroaching, and he soon found himself thinking less about his father and more about getting his mouth around one of Lizzy's nipples. She sensed the change in his demeanour a moment before his hand slid down from her back to her bottom and gave it a healthy squeeze.

'I see you're feeling better,' she said dryly as his arousal pressed into her hip.

'Much,' he assured her. 'You always know how to make a fella forget his troubles.'

'It's a gift,' she moaned as his mouth did indeed get around her nipple. William slid his hand up her nightgown and gently caressed her until she let out a strangled gasp of climax. With new urgency, Lizzy pulled off his shorts and climbed atop him, thankful they had decided not to open the upper berth in favour of sharing the bottom.

'Lizzy!' he groaned. 'Do you realize that we're making love on the damn _train_?'

Lizzy pulled her nightgown over her head and increased her pace. 'Speak for yourself,' she panted. 'I'm _fucking_ you on the train.' William could only respond by matching his thrusts to her rhythm, and they quickly found themselves toppling over the edge- literally. They landed on the floor with a thud, but the discomfort was lost on them as they continued their frenzied joining until utterly spent.

'All right,' William gasped, 'I can face my father now.'

Lizzy kissed his damp forehead and pulled her nightgown back on. 'You may want to put on some pants first.'

They changed to the Chicago train with no resistance at all.

**********

This was the first proper vacation she'd had since Mabel was born, so Lizzy was determined to enjoy it. William would have been content to stay in their sumptuous suite at the [Drake Hotel](http://www.thedrakehotel.com/) day and night making love and worrying about his father, but Lizzy was having none of it (well, she was having _some_ of it, but only when major tourist attractions weren't open). Insistent on beginning Mabel's education early, she dragged the three of them to the Adler Planetarium, the Field Museum of Natural History, and the Shedd Aquarium. The delights of Chicago were enough to distract even William, and the week passed more quickly than they had expected. When the big day finally arrived, he'd barely had any time to panic and drive Lizzy insane with constant whining and pestering, and merely greeted the morning with a grim face and nervous silence.

They had arranged to meet in the Coq d'Or, the hotel's famous lounge, for lunch a few hours before the younger Darcys had to catch their train home. The three of them waited in the foyer outside the lounge, William attempting to look severe, Lizzy attempting to look nonchalant, and Mabel attempting, and succeeding, to look adorable in her pram. Each time the elevator doors opened, Lizzy would squeeze William's hand in preparation, but there existed nothing that could have prepared them for the sight that greeted them when the elevator doors opened to reveal the people they had been awaiting.

Anne Darcy was pale and thin, her hair perfectly preened but clearly greying. Her clothing was simple and apparently stylish, but on closer observation it was plain to see that it was made from cheap materials. She no longer had any of the jewellery she once wore so ostentatiously, and her bearing was no longer as regal as when she had been a wealthy socialite. The real shock, however, was her husband.

James Darcy was a shell of the man he had been. Once tall and self-important with a posture that exuded haughtiness and wealth, he now stood with the slouch of a man who had been broken. His face was drawn and aged, and the thick hair which had been as dark as William's was now completely white. He did not look frail, far from it, but he had an air of fragility around him that had never been there before. In short, they looked like hell. For a fleeting moment, William almost pitied them.

Their eyes locked on William immediately, and the distaste he had expected to see on their faces never appeared. However, James did stand up to his full height and adopt a prouder expression, and Anne took his arm with an air of stateliness that clearly showed her blue-blooded past. The walked slowly across the foyer until they were within a few feet of their son, then stood for a tense minute as if a wall stood between them. William and James silently refused to step forward, while Lizzy felt it was not her place to initiate contact. In the end, Anne was the first to make a move, walking up to Lizzy and extending her hand. Lizzy took it and smiled timidly. Her mother-in-law let out a relieved sigh and introduced herself.

'Hello dear. Anne Darcy. I'm happy to finally meet you.'

'And I you.'

'Is this Mabel?' she asked, gesturing towards the pram. Lizzy nodded. 'May I see her?' Lizzy picked up her child and pulled back the blanket to show Anne her granddaughter. A strangled gasp escaped Anne's throat when she saw Mabel's face. 'Oh goodness… she looks just like William when he was a baby,' she whimpered before bursting into tears. Lizzy placed Mabel into her grandmother's arms and returned to William's side. Mabel looked up at Anne and gurgled happily, patting her cheek with a chubby hand. After staring at the baby for several minutes, Anne smiled up at her son and daughter-in-law. 'Thank you.'

'She's a beautiful girl,' James said stiffly. 'Congratulations.'

'Thank you,' William said just as stiffly. 'We're very proud.'

James nodded. 'She has her mother's eyes. They're lovely.'

At this William smiled a bit. 'Extraordinary, aren't they? Like she's always enjoying a joke no one else knows.'

James chuckled briefly and extended his arms. 'May I?' William nodded, and Anne passed Mabel to her grandfather. She squirmed around a bit, but when she realized that there was no escape, she relaxed into his arms and stared at him with curiosity. Finally deciding that he was acceptable, she placed a sloppy kiss on his chin and began babbling conversationally. With this, James' cold façade broke completely. He pulled Mabel close and collapsed into the nearest chair, half laughing, half crying.

William felt completely lost. Having never seen his father lose control this way, his own confusion and pain pushed to the surface, and he had to turn away to hide the tears that were forming in his eyes. Lizzy calmly walked over to James and offered him her handkerchief. Instead of taking it, however, he reached for hand and kissed it. He opened his mouth to speak, but Lizzy shook her head to indicate that it wasn't necessary. She squeezed his hand and he returned the gesture gratefully.

'Shall we go inside? I'm famished!' Lizzy suggested, breaking the tension around their small party. James stood and followed Lizzy in, but made no move to return Mabel. She seemed perfectly content to remain in his arms as well, and William had the surreal opportunity of watching his father tickle and coo over his baby girl for a quarter of an hour until their first course arrived. Only then did he put her in her pram, which he positioned to be between himself and Lizzy.

Lunchtime conversation remained firmly on safe topics: Lizzy's films, Rick's visit to the West Coast, but mostly Mabel. The little one had entirely won over her grandparents, and they wanted to hear every detail of her life that they had missed. Lizzy gave them a photograph of their young family to take home with them and, unbeknownst to William, jotted their address in LA on the back. If there had been any doubt remaining whether James and Anne now fully accepted Lizzy as their daughter-in-law, this gift laid it to rest.

As their dessert plates were taken away, an awkward silence fell over the group. The time was drawing near to say goodbye again, and no one knew where things would go from here.

'We should probably go. Our train leaves in an hour,' Lizzy finally stated. Anne nodded, and she and James gave Mabel a final kiss before placing her back in the pram. Anne hugged her son for the first time in ten years and dropped a kiss on his forehead. She then stepped back and allowed James to approach him. The two men extended their hands, but this was not enough for James; surprising everyone, he pulled William close and hugged his son for the first time that William could remember. As William stood stunned, James turned Lizzy and held both her hands in his.

'I want to thank you, Lizzy, for agreeing to meet us. You don't know how much…'

Lizzy silenced him with a kiss on the cheek. 'It's all right. I understand.' James nodded and gratefully kissed her hands once more. They all bid each other adieu, and Lizzy, William and Mabel left for LA.

William was quiet and contemplative for most of the journey home. He rebuffed all of Lizzy's attempts to discuss their meeting, saying only that it hadn't been as bad as he thought it would be, and he was glad that his father had finally learned some civility. Lizzy knew that there was something particular on his mind, but as always, it would probably come out eventually when he was ready to deal with it. They had been home for a couple of days and were sitting in the living room listening to the radio when he finally brought it up.

'Why didn't you let him talk when we were saying goodbye? He might have wanted to apologise.'

Lizzy shook her head. 'All he has left is his pride, and very little of that too. I couldn't take the rest of it by making him apologise to me.'

'You are too good, Lizzy.'

'No… I was just repaying him for the gift he gave me.'

'What are you talking about? The man was never anything but cruel to you!' William protested.

'If he hadn't rejected us, where would we be? Ruined back east, like everybody else. We are here because of him, and I can't forget that.'

'How philosophical.'

'Well, when there are no other pleasures to be had, we must be philosophers,' she smiled.

William's eyebrows rose in challenge. 'No other pleasures? Is that so?' Lizzy giggled and ran to the bedroom, William hot on her tail calling out, 'I've got something better than philosophy for you!'

**********

'No darling! You can't leave me!' William called out as Lizzy turned her back to him.

'I must, you know I must!' she replied with equal passion. 'Please, just let me go. It's over- forever!' With that, she walked through the door and slammed it shut, ignoring William's anguished cry.

'That was the best one yet, Lizzy!'

She smiled and came out of the hall closet to kiss her husband. 'Thank you for practicing with me. I'm still so nervous about this drama thing; I've only ever done happy endings.'

'Of course your nerves have nothing to do with working opposite John Gilbert, whom you've idolized since twenty-five?' he teased.

Lizzy blushed. 'It was twenty-six, thank you very much. I had to find a new love after Valentino died.' William rolled his eyes but had no time to reply before the phone rang and Lizzy picked it up. 'Hello? Yes, thank you, I'll take it. Mr. Ford! All right, Jack. Oh yes, I'm quite ready sir. I was just practicing that final scene when you called. An emergency? Right now? Well, yes, I think I can manage it. What happened? Oh dear… oh dear, that's terrible! Yes, I'll be there right away sir. Goodbye.' Lizzy hung up the phone in shock and turned to William with tears in her eyes.

'What is it, Lizzy?' he asked with concern.

'That was the director. There's an emergency casting call being held, and he wants me there for the screen tests. John Gilbert died two days ago!'

'Poor fellow! What happened?'

'It seems he had a bad heart. Poor, poor man.'

'And you have to go the studio right now?'

'Yes, Mr. Ford wants me to read with the fellas he's called up to see if there's any chemistry on-screen. He's very particular about that sort of thing.'

William grabbed their coats and Lizzy's script. 'Then let's go. I'll start the car and you get Mabel.' The trio arrived at the studio just as the actors were assembling for auditions.

'Lizzy! Thank God you're here,' sighed a frantic-looking production assistant. 'Some of the execs are distracting Mr. Ford at the moment, but I don't think they'll be able to hold him long. Hi William, how are you?'

'Thanks Bobby. Think we're in for a long one?'

'I wouldn't expect to be out of here before dawn,' he sighed.

Lizzy nodded and handed Bobby her coat and handbag. 'You go home, daddy. I'll call when I'm ready.'

'Good luck, Sheba. I hope they don't keep you too late. Er… Clark Gable isn't going to be here, is he?' Lizzy laughed and assured him that it was highly unlikely. Setting Mabel into her pram, William pulled his wife close for a deep kiss.

Meanwhile, across the floor, a familiar face was watching; Rick, who had come back to LA for his interviews at RKO, turned from the director and the RKO bigwigs with whom he was meeting to look at the couple embracing at the door. He thought he had recognized his cousins immediately, but the indiscreet way in which the man was currently groping the woman oblivious to the dozens of spectators confirmed their identities. He chuckled, attracting the attention of the other men. Carl Lucas, well used to the Darcy displays of affection, merely shook his head with a smile, but John Ford stared at them pensively.

'Who is that man?' he asked Lucas. 'The one, er, kissing Lizzy.'

'Why, that's her husband, William Darcy, of course. And the little lady in the pram is their daughter. Surely you've seen him with her.'

'Yes, now you mention it. Handsome fella. And look at the chemistry. How long have they been together?'

'Ten years,' Rick replied. 'They met in New York in twenty-six.'

'Ten years and they still pet in public like a couple of kids? Get them over here, I want him to read lines for me.'

Rick sauntered over to them when they came up for air and clapped William on the back. 'Well, well, Cuz, fancy meeting you here!'

'Rick, you rascal! How long have you been in town without calling us?'

'I just got in last night. RKO is putting me up in a hotel. Swank, eh? I was going to call you after my interviews today, but it looks like fate had something else in mind. Come here, the director wants to talk to you- both of you.'

'Why both of us?'

'You'll find out in a minute, won't you? Come on.' Bobby ran back and offered to watch Mabel for them, so after a few seconds of cooing, they left her in his care and walked over to meet John Ford.

'Welcome Lizzy, and thank you so much for coming at the last minute. It's dreadful what's happened, just dreadful.'

'Yes, sir, I was shocked myself. This is my husband, William Darcy. William, this is Mr. John Ford, the director of this picture.' The men shook hands and exchanged pleasantries, but William couldn't help feeling that he was being carefully looked over.

'Yes, very handsome chap. Just the look we need. I'll get right to the point, Lizzy. I was watching you and your husband kiss just now, and the chemistry was explosive, just the sort of thing we need for this picture. If he can read the part with half as much passion, it's his.'

'What? But, I'm not an actor! I'm a homemaker! Er, I mean, a businessman,' William objected.

'Come on, daddy, it might be fun. Read the lines with me again, just like at home.'

His protests died in the face of Lizzy's pout, and he grabbed a script with a sigh. 'All right. But you're in for a disappointment. I'm telling you, I'm no actor.' Ford picked a scene and Lizzy and William started reading. At first his attempt was half-hearted, but as Lizzy got into her role, William followed suit, immersing himself in the character with energy. By the time they finally kissed at the climax of the scene, the director knew he had his lead. The small crowd around them burst into spontaneous applause, bringing William back to reality.

'You lied to me, son,' Ford said seriously. 'You told me you weren't an actor. Well, maybe you weren't before, but you are now. The job is yours if you'll have it.'

'This is crazy. I've never done this before! Who'll watch Mabel? How-'

'Your salary will be $40,000 for the picture and Mabel can be watched here at the studio,' Carl Lucas interrupted. 'You're the man for this job, no doubt about it, William.' Lizzy looked hopefully up at her husband, nodding that he should accept. He looked around nervously, hoping someone would tell him he had actually been rubbish, but he only saw eager faces. His last hope was Rick, but when he saw the mischievous gleam in his cousin's eye, he knew he would not be getting out of this one. Rick winked and nudged William's elbow.

'Come on Darce, it'll be a gas!'  
  
 **The End**  
  


**Author's Note:**

> 'One Exciting Night' is: 1 oz. Orange Juice, 1/3 oz. French Vermouth, 1/3 oz. Italian Vermouth, 1/3 oz. Plymouth Gin


End file.
